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The Roar

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Matildas thrill record crowd in strong 2-1 win over Brazil

16th September, 2017
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(Photo by Zak Kaczmarek/Getty Images)
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16th September, 2017
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The Matildas bounced up and down as Advance Australia Fair came to its soaring conclusion. The sun was beaming down warmly on the Pepper Stadium pitch in concert with the beaming faces of the sold-out crowd.

Never before has a Matildas game been so richly attended in Australia, and the occasion, just like the players during the anthem’s crescendo, had a little extra bounce to it.

And it wasn’t just the crowd or the weather spritzing the event. The recent history between these teams is simmering along nicely; the Brazilians were still nursing the wounds the Matildas inflicted in their 6-1 thrashing, a defeat handed out a month or so ago at the Tournament of Nations.

The South Americans fielded a team that differed greatly from the starting XI that was so soundly rogered in the final, and it was arranged in a strikingly attack-minded 4-2-4, with Marta at the heart of the forward line.

The Brazilians rushed up the pitch from the kick-off, winning a free kick within seconds. Australia buckled a little, repelling a number of crosses, before they launched a counter-attack; Brazil’s midfield-light formation looked immediately susceptible to crumbling under the pressure of a fast transition.

Australia flexed, with Lisa De Vanna combining beautifully on the right-hand side of the Brazil box, crossing dangerously. The ball eventually fell to Sam Kerr, whose shot was nearly headed in by Caitlin Foord.

The contest fizzed over the opening 15 minutes, with Kerr beginning to dominate. A sequence that saw Kerr wrestled to the ground left the referee unmoved, much to the chagrin of Matildas coach Alen Stajcic. Kerr was dropping into midfield, taking advantage of the dearth of Brazilian personnel there, finding time to turn and accelerate dangerously.

Brazil’s system was very fluid, with the front four morphing sporadically into a three, and the full backs stepping up high on the wings. As much as it created moments of lovely, unlikely passing, it was not conducive to structural stability; the Matildas were imposing themselves, snapping into tackles and passing with accuracy, and without the ball the Brazilians looked scattered. Kerr was clobbered by Djenifer after 25 minutes, having been allowed to collect a pass and turn completely unchecked. The Brazilian was booked.

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(Image: Zak Kaczmarek/Getty Images)

Emily van Egmond, Australia’s tall, athletic midfield presence, was controlling the central corridor, forcing the Brazilian attacks out to the wings. Marta was finding it difficult to affect the game in the final third – the Brazilian, who has scored a scarcely believable 105 goals in 101 national caps, was reportedly struggling with jet-lag, and you could tell.

The Australians were in control. Alanna Kennedy rose majestically to meet a corner but headed it over. Foord harried and hustled a Brazilian defender into conceding another corner, which came to nothing.

Then Lisa de Vanna, taking a flicked lay-off from Tamika Butt first time on her left foot, looped a volley from the edge of the box into the top corner. It was an astonishing moment fusing technique and power and capping off a sequence where the Australian attack pressured the Brazilian defence into conceding a throw deep in their half. It was a goal that sent the crowd into raptures and snatched a deserved lead.

Australia restricted Brazil to a single shot in the first half while taking nine of their own, splitting the possession evenly. For all of their talent in attack, Brazil’s disorganisation in defence – and a midfield that regularly left staggeringly vacant areas open in the middle – was hurting them badly.

Kerr began the second half with a backheel, nearly sending Ellie Carpenter running free into the Brazil box. A flowing Australian counter-attack led to de Vanna sending Foord clear one-on-one with Dani Nehaus, with the Brazilian keeper saving well and copping an accidental kick to the face in the process.

Still, there were no early signs in the second half that Australia would relent or that Brazil were going to tighten their defensive shape.

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The Brazilians did, however, compose themselves in attack. A fine few minutes saw them pass through intense Australian pressure, all the way up to the Matildas box. Marta whipped in a vicious free kick from the right flank a few moments later.

Not long after that, a rocket of a shot speared in from 25 metres by Andressinha beat Lydia Williams but crashed against the post.

(Image: AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

The match lurched from end to end. Kerr had a goal chalked off for offside as Katrina-Lee Gorry’s influence grew. Brazil were reckless in their passing out from the back, and Gorry predated on every bad pass, every heavy touch.

Another goal was coming, but at which end? Kerr answered that question – she nodded a header, with her back to goal, into the far corner. Alanna Kennedy’s cross, clipped at an angle, was met and redirected by Kerr, who could only have sensed where the edges of the goal were when she made headed contact. It was an instinctual finish by a player in rare form. The crowd erupted again.

The Brazilians hit the post for a second time in response. The urgency of the visitors rose as the game ticked past the 75th minute. An Australian counter-attack was broken up, and the ball was worked into the centre for a counter-counter-attack. A neat flick sent substitute Debinha racing through, and she curled it past Williams. It was 2-1 with 12 minutes to go.

To say the game then opened up with the scent of parity in the air would be redundant seeing as it had been played so openly from the start. Promising moves at both ends were scuppered by last-ditch tackles or tired passes. It was during this period that the composure of van Egmond was most visible; her decision-making on the ball and positioning when off it was faultless, a stellar captain leading by stellar example.

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The match entered added time. Kerr was given a standing ovation when she was substituted. The Matildas saw out the win, with the sun beaming down. They play Brazil again on Tuesday.

The Australian public came out in full force to support the Matildas, a team with genuine ambitions to win the World Cup, playing a prestigious opponent they had recently beaten.

It was a response the Matildas are more than entitled to, and they offered up a potent performance that made sure the crowd went home singing and smiling. It was a grand day out, and here’s hoping it’s the first of many to come in this country.

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