Butt: Westfield Matildas desperate to bring Asian Cup home

Tameka Butt says the thought of bringing the AFC Women’s Asian Cup back to Australia is motivating the Westfield Matildas ahead of Tuesday’s semi-final against Thailand.

Alen Stajcic’s is just 90 minutes away from a third consecutive continental final, having won the tournament in 2010 before losing the decider to Japan four years ago.

Butt was a part of both of those squads and admits the prospect of reliving the memories of that incredible triumph in 2010 is driving the squad in Jordan.

“It’s crazy to think it’s been eight years. It doesn’t feel that long,” Butt told https://matildas.footballaustralia.com.au/.

“I can still remember when we did hold it. Definitely we would love to hold it again.

“It’s always amazing to lift some silverware and we definitely want to take it home to Australia.”

The Westfield Matildas are on a high after Friday night’s late draw against Japan not only sealed top spot in their group but booked their ticket to next year’s FIFA World Cup in France.

To celebrate their achievement, the entire squad went from their base in Amman and visited the famous Dead Sea.

It was a great chance for the side to relax and recharge ahead of returning to the training pitch today to start preparing for Tuesday night’s semi-final against Thailand.

“We were all pretty relieved after the [Japan] match, we definitely had to work hard for it but we were expecting that,” Butt said.

“Overall we were pretty happy with our performance and definitely pretty stoked to go to the World Cup.

“[The Dead Sea] was a great experience, nothing I have ever experienced before.”