Australia needed 120 minutes and 20 penalty kicks to eliminate the powerful France, break the barrier of the quarterfinals and sneak into the semifinals of the most special World Cup in its history for the first time. It had been 20 years since a host country had made it into the top four. In 2003 it was the United States, which would end up in third position. Yesterday, the Matildas joined history after overcoming the longest penalty shootout ever recorded in a World Cup. 17 minutes, ten pitches per band. Australian goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold earned a well-deserved MVP by saving three penalties and even dared to take one, only to miss it herself. When Cortnee Vine converted the decisive penalty, the goal John Aloisi scored against Uruguay in 2005 returned to the minds of many Australians, qualifying the men’s team for a World Cup more than three decades after the last time.
With a much more successful path, the women’s team is a regular at the big tournaments and with their victories, they are paving the way in a country where they are not the majority sport. “It represents so much more than 90 minutes of football,” said coach Tony Gustavsson, highlighting “all the little kids who will be inspired” by these players.
A triumph that mobilized an entire country and that also meant the victory of football in a country where rugby is the king of sports. The women’s team has resisted for years to the marginal space to which it has been relegated, waiting for its time to come. Against all odds, they are filling stadiums. Even the opening game had to be moved to a larger capacity stadium due to unprecedented demand in the country. The entire nation was dyed green and yellow last night and the central Federation Square, epicenter of the party in Melbourne, celebrated the pass to the semifinals until the wee hours. Something unthinkable until now.
Living up to their name, the Matildas have challenged their own country to take women’s football to the top. A nickname they receive from the Australian folk song Waltzing Matilda, the country’s unofficial national anthem. A song that talks about a man who travels around the country in search of work and who represents, just like the Matildas, resistance, struggle…
Something that perfectly embodies the team led by the Swede Tony Gustavsson. Not even the physical problems of their star Sam Kerr at the gates of the first game have been able to with them. The Chelsea forward was destined to be one of the great figures of the tournament, but a thigh injury caused her to miss the first three games and she has not yet been able to start any game. Despite the absence of their captain, the Australians were not about to give up. And less in the tournament that they hosted in their land. With the best generation of footballers in its history, players like Caitlin Foord (Arsenal), Ellie Carpenter (O. Lyon), Hayley Raso (Real Madrid) or Mary Fowler (M. City) have stepped forward to lead this team to put it among the four best teams in the world.
Australia has been present in every edition of the World Cup, except the first (1991), but it had never gone past the quarterfinals before. Til It’s done (until it is done) reads the Matildas motto for this tournament. A slogan that they will try to carry until the final next Sunday in Sydney. Before, England, the current European champions, awaits them in the semifinals.
