London: The Matildas have moved to play down the significance of their shock victory against England in London in a result that boost expectations ahead of this year’s World Cup.
Captain Sam Kerr, the star of Australia’s 2-0 win against the Lionesses that ended a 30-game winning streak, said while it was a remarkable result the Matildas were not getting ahead of themselves.
The European champions were far from their best on a wet evening at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium and paid for it as the Australian Chelsea striker scored and assisted for the visitors either side of half-time.
With 99 days to go until Australia co-hosts the World Cup, the Matildas were able to expose the vulnerabilities of the world-leading team and along the way declared themselves as tournament contender.
“Obviously they’re a great team, so it’s always nice to put in a good team performance and be the top team, but we’ve got to take everything with a grain of salt before the World Cup – it’s about building on our performances and where we can get better,” said Kerr, who hobbled off with a leg injury late in the second half.
“Of course it feels really nice right now, and we will enjoy it tonight, but it’s just one step in the journey to the World Cup.”
Having returned to the Australian starting line-up after being rested in their 1-0 defeat by Scotland last week, Kerr was dominant against England’s defence throughout the match and pounced on a mistake by captain Leah Williamson for the opener.
Sam Kerr celebrates after scoring against England.Credit: Getty
After half-time she floated in a cross for Charlotte Grant, who found the back of the net with a header to score her first international goal.
Australian manager Tony Gustavsson shared in a lengthy embrace with Kerr on the sidelines following the victory in front of a sellout crowd, but he conceded he was concerned with the injury she had suffered.
He said while Kerr was a world-class striker, she also made her teammates stand taller.
“One thing is her individual qualities as a footballer but even more valuable to this team is what she gives as a person and how she carries them – it’s amazing,” said Gustavsson.
“I also want to give credit to the players around her. If you have a team that backs up an individual like Sam, she can shine.”
He said his team stayed true to its identity but warned against drawing too many conclusions from the team’s victory.
The 49-year-old Swede said his experience of international football was no performance was never as good, nor as bad as critics think.
“First of all, it’s just a sense of pride, seeing these players that could use all the excuses in the world not to perform today, playing the team that has the best form in the world right now, playing 30 games unbeaten,” he said.
“They play phenomenal football, England, and we were champions.”
He praised his team’s trademark grit, citing 10 injuries throughout the squad going into the game, and conceded there could have been a lot of excuses not to perform.
“But that’s not what this team is about,” he said. “Combining that heart with head, the discipline and the tactical execution tonight was brilliant. So that combination between head and heart is what makes me really proud.”
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