“We’ve made history.” These are big words. But Matildas winger Hayley Raso is entitled to make them. She played 104 minutes in a titanic World Cup quarter-final struggle against a mighty French side. Then, after being substituted, had the best seat in the house for what those in Brisbane will surely describe as the greatest penalty shootout ever.
“You saw the emotion and the scenes afterwards,” she said. “The feelings all around are just so high.”
High could be an underestimation. This was an occasion of soaring spectacle for Australia, further elevated by the fact the stakes couldn’t have been higher. Ahead of Saturday’s kick-off, broadcasters were calling it the biggest night of sport in 20 years. Few can live up to that level of expectation. But these Matildas are more than a mere few. They are many, they are powerful, and they demand respect.
There’s Cortnee Vine. The winger who came on for Raso and who buried Australia’s 10th and decisive penalty. Who plays in the A-League Women for Sydney FC and sometimes forgets she actually plays for the Matildas. Who admitted after the game she couldn’t remember ever taking a penalty before.
There’s Mackenzie Arnold. The goalkeeper who made three saves in the shootout. With an illness that made her eyes bloodshot and irritable. She even stood up to take the all-important fifth spot kick. Sure, she didn’t score, but, together, the Matildas have a tendency to find a way.
Against a fierce French side, there were times the way was not obvious. The Australians started as if they were unpacking wine glasses from the dishwasher. Taking care, but almost dropping one regardless. A mis-hit Alannah Kennedy clearance almost gifted France the opener, and then French fullback Maëlle Lakrar missed the gaping goal in the scrambled aftermath of a corner.
But the Brisbane crowd wouldn’t let the Matildas muck up the moment. A rapturous pre-match welcome, an “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” inside five minutes, every long ball greeted with a roar. Their earnest energy finally turned the Matildas around.
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There’s Mary Fowler. Both dainty and dangerous. Never far from the action, as midfielder creator and would-be finisher. Of her many blocked shots, none was more memorable than the one fans witnessed late in the first half but could not believe. Sweeping home a ball slid across from the industrious Emily Van Egmond on the right, an open goal beckoned, and Fowler made fine contact. The ball was on its way. The near-50,000 in the stadium, the millions on television, all thought it was enough. But France fullback Élisa De Almeida took flight and, though the ball was too high for her outstretched boot, thrust her hips towards the incoming shot and connected with her upper thigh.
It took more than two hours, but Fowler got her revenge. De Almeida was taken off for Ève Périsset in the final minute. In the shootout that followed, Fowler smashed in her penalty, gleefully free from the sight of another blue body in front of her. Then up stepped the French substitute and missed.
There’s Sam Kerr. Another, like Fowler, to coolly bury her spot kick. Australia’s vital third, settling the nerves after Steph Catley’s miss. Brought on with 35 minutes of regular time to go and ended up playing double on her recovering calf.
No player has a higher ratio of column inches to minutes this tournament than Sam Kerr. But she was worth all the hype for a magical initial stretch when she first came on, and remained a threat throughout. If the Matildas were energised by the crowd in the first half, it was Kerr who electrified the stands in return.
There was, of course, the injustice of a France corner cruelly awarded, that almost led to a goal, before the referee called a foul. Or the fortune of a French cross that plainly hit defender Clare Hunt in the hand, but that was not checked by the video referee. Two dicey penalty shouts involved Caitlin Foord, one at each end. Plus, Catley’s desperate clearance in extra-time.
There was, frankly, a lot. Far too much to add everything up into columns to say who was robbed the most. But on such a significant night, that conglomerate of memory is fitting. Saturday was more than bouncing balls, and shirts, and rules and kicks. It transcended the sidelines at the old Lang Park, went far beyond the stands.
In raising the notion of history, formally, Raso is right. The Matildas have made history by reaching the World Cup semi-finals, a stage they have never stepped foot on. But the history the Matildas are making is much more than another line in a tournament schedule. Australia has changed, and it’s going to keep changing.
