Netherlands thrash Matildas in second straight rout

The Matildas have endured a second dispiriting setback to their Olympics preparations in the space of four days, suffering a humbling 5-0 defeat to World Cup finalists, the Netherlands, in Nijmegen.

Just as in their 5-2 defeat by Olympic champions Germany on Saturday, Tony Gustavsson’s Australian national team were again acquainted with the vast gulf in class that separates them from the world’s best in Tuesday’s hopelessly one-sided affair.

Helped by the Matildas’ sloppiness in possession and their own incisive attacking…