Locate your nearest time machine. Fasten your seatbelt. Now go back to September 2022 – just after the Matildas suffered back-to-back losses at home to Canada, after a 7-0 defeat to Spain and only a few months removed from their Asian Cup disaster, when there were loud calls for coach Tony Gustavsson to be replaced.
If someone had told you then that the Matildas would secure consecutive wins over England and France in their final two matches before the Women’s World Cup, you would have laughed.
Yes, it’s hard to believe, but things seem to be going extremely well. Suspiciously well. The World Cup is five days away and any reasons for Australian negativity are fast diminishing.
Let’s just say it: this team can win it all.
Don’t get carried away. We shouldn’t expect the Matildas to lift the World Cup trophy on August 20, it shouldn’t be seen as a massive disappointment if they fail (depending on how), and they’re definitely not the best team in contention. But it really could happen.
Why not?
Mary Fowler celebrates her goal against France.Credit: Getty
Fans dared to dream along these lines when an understrength Australian side beat the Lionesses, the reigning European champions and one of the World Cup favourites, three months ago. Friday night’s 1-0 win over France, the world’s No.5-ranked team and likely one of the biggest obstacles on the Matildas’ side of the knockout draw, gives them another reason.
In front of a record crowd of 50,629, they ensured the game was played on their terms – fast, open and transitional. That’s the plan now, for better or worse. And for the most part, it worked.
The French had most of the ball and had more chances (15 to four, but only one was on target). A more clinical, better organised team might have taken advantage of this. The upshot for the Matildas is that they will not come across too many better teams than France, and that their defence – featuring an inexperienced Clare Hunt and an underdone Alanna Kennedy, two centre-backs who had never played together before – held up through the periods when they were under siege.
“Already ready,” was how Les Bleues coach Herve Renard described the Matildas, but the compliment came with a warning.
“Congratulations to Australia,” he continued. “They deserved to win. But it’s only a preparation game. Sometimes you can lose the first game at a World Cup and be champions.”
And he should know, considering he was the coach who masterminded Saudi Arabia’s famous victory over eventual champions Argentina at the men’s World Cup in Qatar late last year.
“Take it easy, stay relaxed,” he continued. “The competition didn’t start yet.”
That same message was driven home by Gustavsson, too, so it’s not lost on the Matildas. The lid is still on, and so it should remain.
All that was missing from the first 60 minutes against France, as Gustavsson rolled out what will more or less be his starting line-up for the World Cup, was a bit of composure – and of course, a goal or two.
The Matildas repeatedly worked their way into good attacking areas but often failed to generate clear-cut shots. The final pass was missing, but not by much – a yard here, a foot there and the right connections would have been made. It was all a touch too frantic, even chaotic at times. Some finesse was needed; a slightly cooler head in the heat of battle.
It may come next week against Ireland, now that some cobwebs have been blown out, and that some players who had never played in front of such big crowds now know they can. It came anyway on the night courtesy of 20-year-old sensation Mary Fowler, who was subbed on in the second half, ghosted into the penalty box in the 66th minute, deftly controlled a cutback from Hayley Raso, and provided a calm, collected finish.
That they won it without the heavy involvement of Sam Kerr and Caitlin Foord, who were both off the field for the last 30 minutes, is another tick. The only cross was a second-half injury to Tameka Yallop, whose tournament may be threatened by what appeared to be a hyperextended knee.
Ellie Carpenter and the Matildas celebrate.Credit: Getty
Even putting this win aside, the universe seems to be working in Australia’s favour. Group B rivals Nigeria and Canada are beset by internal dramas, both teams at loggerheads with their federations. Ireland’s warm-up match against Colombia on Friday night was so brutal it only lasted 20 minutes before they pulled the pin, with one of their best players, Denise O’Sullivan, taken to hospital.
The Matildas already know they can beat England, who they will meet in the round of 16 if they finish second in the group. Now they know they can beat France, who loom as a potential quarter-final opponent. They have also beaten Sweden and Spain, ranked No.3 and No.6 in the world by FIFA respectively.
All of this, in what most pundits agree is the most wide-open World Cup in recent history.
Speaking of time travel, Gustavsson did some himself in his post-match press conference, going over the past two years and pointing out that everything he has done was done with a specific purpose – to build depth and steel his team for this precise moment.
It was a bumpy ride, but he reeled off stats that demonstrate where that journey has taken them: five wins in a row against European teams; four wins over top 10-ranked teams in a row; clean sheets in six of their past eight games.
“Now it’s business mode,” Gustavsson said. “We need to be a bit humble.”
But they should be confident, too, that if they can put it all together when it matters, something truly special is within reach.
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