Tag: Lionesses

Australia’s World Cup run has been halted by a ruthless England side, who ran out 3-1 winners in the semi-final.

Here’s how the internet reacted.

Pre-match, the phrase rang out: ‘Australia is one win away from the football World Cup final’.

Seeing these words form coherently into this gleaming sentence is like seeing the semi-trailer transform into Optimus Prime for the first time, a magnificent, fantastic reshaping of reality into the most astounding, spectacular thing you’ve ever seen.

But as we strode into this uncharted realm of rarefied tournament football, there the old familiar enemy sat, and it was something of a comfort to nestle into the well-worn grooves of animosity towards England, and of course reuse all the memes from the Ashes.

Matildas mania had again washed across the country, manifesting in new innovative ways. 

Patty Mills and the Boomers, whose game had been shifted to avoid being obliterated trying to compete in the Matildas’ timeslot, were repping Tillies jerseys in practice.

And while the sick cocktail of anxiety and hope recoated the lining of the Aussie fans’ stomachs, we could all be reassured knowing that, if things started going bad tonight, we could just pull a Barnaby and pop on the replay of Australia’s 2-0 friendly win over England back in April and cheer along with that, then turn off the television set and walk into the sea.

A jolt of pure hype rippled across the country as Samantha Kerr was named in the starting XI for the first time in this tournament.

The match kicked off.

Within 10 minutes, Sam Kerr had a chance, eventually confirmed as an offside one, saved one-on-one by Mary Earps, after being set loose by a superb Gorry lofted pass — the crowd’s appetite was whetted.

Georgia Stanway then had an equally good shooting chance at the other end, with Clare Polkinghorne caught out — a stolid kick-away save by Arnold kept her out.

England, perhaps attempting to combat the overwhelmingly home crowd, upped their physicality, earning and narrowly avoiding some bookings after some heavy challenges.

The complexion of the game was clear, though: Australia were ceding possession, England were venturing forward, Australia were trying to prosper on the break. 

Ellie Carpenter over hit a cross badly having been released by Hayley Raso after a neat interception and gallop; the physical play had set Australia off their rhythm in transition, the place where precision timing is paramount.

And England took the lead in a move dripping with both.

A neat exchange involving Alessia Russo on the left saw the ball cut back perfectly into the stride of Ella Toone, who struck it sharply inside the far post, into the top corner. It was a move that ticked and whirred like a pocket watch and finished with an almighty gong.

Mackenzie Arnold had gone six hours and 49 minutes without conceding a goal, but Australia were behind now.

The first half ended with a Steph Catley cross barely missing Kerr’s head, and as Carpenter went shoulder-to-shoulder with an English foe trying to retrieve the ball, she was barged out of the contest, conceding a throw; a fitting end to a half that saw England flex their muscles physically and tactically, and get the better of the Matildas. 

Early in the second half, Mary Fowler and Caitlin Foord combined, the former crossing to the latter from the right hand side, but Foord’s header couldn’t trouble Earps — still, a good sign for Australia.

The parade of English fouls continued, some called, some allowed to slip on by, as England wrested back control of the match.

Lauren Hemp tested Arnold from distance, shooting powerfully, with Arnold scampering across to bat it away — Millie Bright nearly scored with a downward header from the resulting corner. 

And then the limelight hit our talisman just right, and she stood up to meet it.

Kerr collected the ball on the halfway line, turned and powered toward the England goal. All alone, she smashed her shot up and over Earps, slightly deflected off a defensive calf, looping just under the bar. A wonder goal. A wonder player. Kerr had hoisted the team on her back and had done it herself. The stadium erupted. The face of the home World Cup had scored the goal of the tournament.

The Matildas were electrified by the goal, and suddenly Kerr had two more chances, shooting wide then heading right at Earps, as the green and gold players poured forward, England reeling, the home crowd raining cheers down like a monsoon.

Lucy Bronze stopped the bleeding with a cross that spun across the face of Arnold’s goal, then Russo headed barely wide, with Arnold beaten — England were not about to roll over.

And then Hemp went one better. Carpenter dallied with a clearance, facing her own goal, and Hemp snuck it, stole the ball, and slapped a shot past Arnold. 

A scavengers’ goal, England back in front, 2-1.

Kerr’s face in the aftermath was etched with frustration; Australia had been level again for just eight minutes.

Emily van Egmond and Cortnee Vine had come on, but if England had been winded by that Kerr thunderbolt, they’d caught their breath now and were steadied.

Kerr had a golden chance to equalise again, meeting a gorgeous Fowler curled cross, but too firmly, heading over. Vine drew a super save from Earps a minute later. 

Then Kerr had an even better chance, seeing the ball punched to her by Earps from an Australian corner; Kerr lashed at it on the volley, hit it high and wide, with plenty of goal to aim at. Her face was creased with pain.

And it would be compounded, as England tore down the other end of the pitch moments later, and Russo slotted the ball past Arnold, making it 3-1, and sealing England’s place in the final.

Hemp drove through the midfield to lay on the assist, cementing her player-of-the-match performance.

The English time-wasted expertly, and, in truth, had managed this match perfectly outside of a divine intervention by Kerr.

Hovering around on the edge of fair play, pushing physicality to the legal limit, snatching seconds away from your opponent and taking your chances; it’s what every fan wants their team to do.

Had world-class full back Carpenter not dithered on a clearance, had Kerr been match-sharp enough to take that volleyed chance, had a butterfly flapped its wings slightly harder, then the result may have been different, but they hadn’t and it wasn’t.

As the England players embraced after the final whistle, the Australian fans felt hollow.

And then that void was filled, as pride rushed in.

This Matildas campaign has bathed the country in light and warmth, and the millions of fans that watched and cheered and cried and basked in that light and warmth now hold it in them.

It’s part of the people now, self-sustaining, never to dissipate, radiating out for others to soak up, renewed by the memory of that Canada win, or that Fowler through ball, or that Kerr strike. You can feel it now, and you will forever.

Plus, it’s not really over, not yet: there’s still the third-placed match to come.