Australia are still two games away from a potential home win in Sydney. Will the story of the World Cup end as in a picture book?
What a dramatic and seemingly endless penalty shootout in the quarter-finals of the World Cup between Australia and France. In the end, the hosts were victorious in front of nearly 50,000 fans at Brisbane Stadium. It wasn’t until the 20th (!) penalty from Cortnee Vine that the decision was made and with it the exuberant cheering across the country.
More than 7 million fans in Australia watched the 20-minute penalty shoot-out in front of their screens. And even above the clouds, fans were passionately rooting for Matildas.
A huge defensive fortress of Australia
One of the reasons the Australians are still dreaming of their first World Cup title is their stable defense: in their last 3 matches they haven’t conceded a single goal apart from penalties. Olympic champion Canada in the Group C match, Danes around superstar Pernille Harder, and French quarter-finalist Prestigious Neither scored a goal against Australia.
The goal chances would have been there. But in the Australian box, there is the currently good-tempered Mackenzie Arnold, whose height of 1.81 meters is definitely not a flaw. As in the round of 16 against Denmark (2-0), the 29-year-old had to save more than one shot on goal against her opponent. The West Ham goalkeeper was unbeaten from the game for almost 320 minutes.
Superstar only in a supporting role
So far, the Australians have managed to impress not only defensively but also offensively. Only in the last match against France could they achieve a sense of accomplishment in the 90 or 120 minutes, with the particularly talented Mary Fowler wasting some chances.
As far as the offensive department is concerned, Nationals coach Tony Gustafsson already has a world-class player available in Sam Kerr. But the 29-year-old record scorer has only sporadically hinted at her talent in the last two matches due to a calf injury.
She has yet to score a scoring point in 77 minutes of play. However, in the quarter-finals against France, the team clearly felt a jolt after being substituted in the 55th minute. Who knows, maybe that will finally be enough against England for the first World Cup starting in the 11th. Anyway, it should be a special encounter, Where Kerr was under contract with Chelsea FC for more than 3 years.
Possible dream scenario
What could happen in “Down Under” if it really worked out in the end with a World Cup triumph in your country? In view of the current euphoria in the country, it can only be guessed at. The venue for the finals is none other than Stadium Australia. This will be the first time since 1999 (USA) and the second time ever that a country has won the World Cup in their country.
legend:
Always in a festive mood after the last matches
Australians aren’t done partying yet.
IMAGO/AAP
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