PARIS, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Football Australia has confirmed that Tony Gustavsson will not continue as coach of their women's national football team after their failure to qualify from the group stage at the Paris Olympics.
It is the first time in 24 years that Australia has failed to qualify for the knockout stages, with their disappointment confirmed by a 2-1 defeat to the United States.
Although Australia was involved in the most entertaining game of the competition as they came from 5-2 down to beat Zambia 6-5, a previous 3-0 defeat to Germany left them with an uphill task to qualify before the game against the U.S..
Football Australia confirmed the decision to not extend the Swede's contract with the Matildas, adding that the decision was mutual, with Gustavsson releasing a statement saying it has been "a great honor and privilege to have been able to be the head coach of the Matildas over the past four years."
"This journey with the team has had many incredible moments and memories that I will forever treasure," he added.
Gustavsson's future had been under scrutiny after Australia was beaten by England in the semifinal of last year's World Cup, which was played in Australia. ■
