Australia’s campaign at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup is over after the Matildas were bundled out of the Round of 16 following a penalty shootout loss to Norway.
Norway were arguably the marginally better side and did a pretty good job of shutting down Sam Kerr, but some key refereeing decisions drew the ire of Australian fans at the ground and watching from home.
A handball penalty Australia had initially been awarded was controversially taken back by VAR after a very lengthy review, while another appeal for handball in the box wasn’t referred to replay officials at all.
What really got Matildas fans going, however, was a straight red card shown to Alanna Kennedy for what looked to be nothing more than an innocuous challenge.
But was that really the full story? There’s no doubt Australia lowered their colours in the penalty shootout, while also squandering a huge chance to score in the first minute.
So, were the Matildas really robbed? Roar football expert Mike Tuckerman analysed the game with us on the Game of Codes podcast to work out just how much was the fault of the officials and how much the Matildas just had to wear.
Listen to the debate:
Visit our Game of Codes hub to catch the full episode and be sure to subscribe and review on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or wherever else you’re listening.
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