Australia's all-time top scorer Lisa De Vanna dropped from Olympic squad

Lisa De Vanna was omitted from the Matildas' 25-woman squad released on Tuesday for Olympic warm-ups away to Denmark on June 10 and Sweden five days later.

Published : Jun 01, 2021 13:48 IST

With the Australian squad to be trimmed to 18 for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Lisa De Vanna's hopes of competing at a third Olympic Games are all but over (File Photo).
With the Australian squad to be trimmed to 18 for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Lisa De Vanna's hopes of competing at a third Olympic Games are all but over (File Photo).
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With the Australian squad to be trimmed to 18 for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Lisa De Vanna's hopes of competing at a third Olympic Games are all but over (File Photo).

Lisa De Vanna, Australia's most prolific goal-scorer in women's football, has been dropped from the Olympic squad with coach Tony Gustavsson saying there was "no room" for the veteran forward.

De Vanna, 36, was omitted from the Matildas' 25-woman squad released on Tuesday for Olympic warm-ups away to Denmark on June 10 and Sweden five days later.

With the squad to be trimmed to 18 for the 2020 Tokyo Games, De Vanna's hopes of competing at a third Olympics are all but over.

Swede Gustavsson said that with Caitlin Foord, Mary Fowler, Emily Gielnik and captain Sam Kerr in his squad, Australia was spoilt for choices in attack.

"I think we’re heavy in depth when it comes to those positions," he said in a Fox Sports podcast. "I didn’t feel there was room for Lisa in this roster this time."

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Former captain De Vanna, who has scored 47 goals in 150 appearances for Australia, telegraphed her omission before the squad's release, tweeting: "Life won't always give you everything you want, not because you don't deserve it, but because you deserve more."

De Vanna was part of a 26-woman squad of domestic players called up for a "talent identification" camp in Sydney earlier this month after helping Melbourne Victory win Australia's W-League title in April, her fifth national championship.

De Vanna and other home-based players were overlooked for Olympic warm-ups in Europe in April due to logistical complications amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teams of Europe-based Matildas slumped to 5-0 and 5-2 defeats to the Netherlands and Germany, respectively, marking the first time Australia had shipped five-plus goals back-to-back in 26 years.

Gustavsson included two uncapped defenders in Charlotte Grant and Courtney Nevin, along with uncapped goalkeeper Teagan Micah as he looks to fix Australia's defensive woes. Midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross will also press for an international debut.

Australia, co-host of the 2023 Women's World Cup with New Zealand, is among the 12 nations which has qualified for the Olympic football tournament in Tokyo, which starts on July 21.

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