Controversy, VAR, 11 goals and a 90th minute winner in bonkers come-from-behind Matildas victory

What to write about one of the most crazy Olympic Games football matches on record?

Thankfully, the video highlights scattered through this article will tell the story for us because it's impossible to do the Matildas' 6-5 win over Zambia justice with the written word.

There were goals galore, a first-half hat-trick scored by Barbra Banda, the second most expensive player in the world. There was a double scored by Racheal Kundananji, the most expensive player in the world.

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There was a 5-2 lead for Zambia deep into the second half.

Then, with Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson's last roll of the dice, which included the injection of substitute striker Michelle Heyman, the game turned and before you could blink the 36-year-old was scoring a 90th-minute winner.

"I really can't, some days I can't believe it, I don't know how many minutes I will play in this tournament, but I love this game and I do it for my country and my family and for Christine (my partner)," Heyman told Nine reporter Alex Cullen after full-time.

"The love keeps me going and am proud to be part of it."

"We try our hardest to bring something home, we knew we could do it, we knew they would get tired which is why I was happy to come on with fresh legs and enjoy the game," she added.

"We were giving it our all and we never gave up."

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The Matildas once again showed the trait that has perhaps most defined their rise to become Australia's most beloved national team: they fought to the death. In the end that fight was enough to turn a near certain defeat, and a horror defeat at that, into the most unlikely victory.

Throughout, the Matildas looked capable of scoring goals, they just didn't look much like stopping them, with Zambia's two superstars tearing them apart time and time again as they threatened to rack up a cricket score.

Most Australians would never have heard of Banda or Kundananji but they tortured the Matildas' back four and kept twisting the knife, scoring a goal in the first minute of the match, then scoring again every time the Matildas found an answer. Clearly the money spent on the enormous recent transfer fees to secure the services of 24-year-old Banda (Orlando Pride) and 24-year-old Kundananji (Bay FC) has been money well spent.

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Yet, even staring down the barrel of elimination and appearing heavy legged midway through the second half, having conceded again to trail 5-2 the Matildas found something within themselves and started to play on the nerves of the Zambians.

Heyman's injection paid almost instant dividends, with the renowned poacher making a nuisance of herself in the box before scrubbing a cheeky backheel goalwards as the Zambians scrambled to clear. Heyman's strike meandered towards the line but didn't have the power to cross it, as a defender got across to clear the danger, only to kick the ball straight into one of her teammates, with the ball then rebounding into the goal. 5-3.

Less than a minute later, the Matildas had the ball in the back of the net again, but this time fortune went against them, with the referee missing a foul by Heyman on the goalkeeper in the lead-up before VAR correctly pulled it up and the goal was chalked off. Surely, now, that must be it.

But then, in what seemed to be the most insane three minutes of football witnessed, the Matildas scored again, with a free kick fired directly at the goal from long range by captain Steph Catley bursting through the hands of the Zambian goalkeeper. A howler. 5-4.

Now the Matildas can feel the game change. The momentum is theirs. Extraordinarily, the win is theirs for the taking.

But they would still have to seize it - and seize it they did.

Marauding winger Caitlin Foord had the ball on the left flank and was dribbling into the box. As she knocked it past the defender, her foot was caught in a clumsy challenge. With Foord grounded and in pain it was once again down to the VAR official to come up with a decision and after a brief inspection of the incident, the referee was instructed to point to the spot.

Step up skipper. Catley, who had moments earlier scored with a set piece, raised her hand for the penalty and calmly dispatched it in the bottom right corner. 5-5.

The turnaround began with Heyman so it was only fitting that it ended with her too. After yet another turnover in midfield, the attacking third opened up for the Matildas and a perfectly weighted through ball set the striker on a course for goal. With the goalkeeper, by now confidence shattered, coming out to meet her, Heyman calmly slotted the ball past her into the bottom corner.

Ninety minutes up, Matildas 6, Zambia 5.

Insanity.

"She came on the field and did what her job is as a striker," injured Matildas star Kyah Simon said.

"Michelle obviously hasn't been in the squad for a numerous amount of years. Rio was her last Olympics and she sat on the bench. She came on in the last minutes of the game and as a sub you want to make an impact, and that's exactly what she did.

"My heart rate has only just come down."

Gustavsson praised the "amazing" fighting spirit of the Matildas in what was one of their "craziest" matches.

"This was one of the craziest games we've ever played," Gustavsson said.

"Sorry if I got your heart rate up today and it was nerves in there, but finally we got it done.

"We didn't play well... It is a wake-up call and it is not to our standard and we need to be better for the next game and turn this tournament around.

"I mean how many times have these players done that, this is not the time to dwell about how we conceded five goals because obviously that was shit.

"This is the time to talk about the spirit in this team. They scored on their first shot in the game, how do we respond to that? Being up against the wall a little bit before the game starts and then concede five and still win? I mean, what a group of players this is, they're so amazing.

"It's the goal and the mindset of the Matildas. It's just one of a kind."

Simon said: "I think that's in our DNA at the Matildas, that never say die attitude.

"We did it the hard way for sure. We looked disconnected at times and that urgency wasn't there."

Australia will need to defeat a "dynamic" USWNT, who are four-time gold medalists, to advance to the next phase of the competition.

The US have taken maximum points to all but cement their spot in the quarterfinals, but a victory over the Matildas will place the Aussies future in the hands of their rivals results.

"The US are in fine, dynamic form. They've got a front three which are probably some of the best in the world. It's not going to be an easy matchup, it never is, Simon said.

"At the same time this could make or break us. This is a do or die moment for us."

The match will kick off on Thursday at 3am (AEST).