BRISBANE, Australia — “Is that Alanna Kennedy playing up top?” was the question whispered around the stands of Brisbane Stadium. The answer was “yes.”
After playing in the heart of defence for 82 minutes, Kennedy had been pushed forward to play as a second striker. It wasn’t a new tactic from Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson. He had employed it sporadically throughout his tenure, including in a friendly against New Zealand in 2021; it was not well-received two years ago but the Matildas managed to win on that day.
To say it was admonished in the Matildas 3-2 defeat to Nigeria at the World Cup wouldn’t even explain half of it. Pushing Kennedy forward coincided with another question fans had asked much more loudly during the match: Where were the substitutes?
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After Nigeria burst out of the blocks in the second half and scored two goals in seven minutes, the consensus was fresh legs would do the Matildas some good.
Australia’s first change came in the 82nd minute. Hometown hero Clare Polkinghorne replaced Cortnee Vine; a central defender went on for a winger at 3-1 down with eight minutes plus stoppage to play. This was the substitution that saw Kennedy push forward with Polkinghorne taking her place at centre-back.
The Matildas’ second and final change came in the 85th minute, when Alex Chidiac entered the fray for Hayley Raso. It was a move fans had been calling for and Chidiac undeniably brought a different dimension to the team but it was all too little, too late.
From a neutral perspective, this result was fun and the euphoria exploding out of the Nigerian team and their fans is what World Cups are all about. From a Matildas perspective, this result felt like the death knell of this World Cup campaign.
