Can Australia win a football World Cup? The idea seemed absurd less than six months ago, but a 1-0 win over heavyweights France means the Matildas are now bursting with confidence.
After almost three years of fretting over just about every aspect of Tony Gustavsson’s regime – from tactics to team selection to the contents of his whiteboard – suddenly the most pressing question ahead of Australia’s World Cup opener against the Republic of Ireland in Sydney is whether the Matildas can withstand the pressure of competing on home soil.
That’s because their 1-0 win over France in front of more than 50,000 fans at Docklands on Friday night will have done nothing to dampen expectations heading into their tournament opener on Thursday night.
Mary Fowler’s neatly-taken winner was just about the least Australia deserved – even if Les Bleues perhaps enjoyed the better of proceedings in front of a parochial Melbourne crowd – with a makeshift central defensive pairing of Clare Hunt and an underdone Alanna Kennedy holding firm in front of Mackenzie Arnold in goal.
Hunt was winning just her sixth cap for Australia when she lined up against the star-studded French outfit, but having kept veteran striker Eugénie Le Sommer quiet all night, the Western Sydney Wanderers defender looks a shoo-in to start against the Irish next week.
And the Aussies will go into the first game of the World Cup feeling like they can beat practically anyone after following up that 2-0 win over England with a similarly eye-catching result against the French.
Mary Fowler celebrates scoring a goal. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
The question now is whether they can handle the pressure of playing in front of the biggest crowds they’ve ever experienced.
Around 80,000 fans are expected to flock to Homebush for Australia’s opening game against the Republic of Ireland and based on what they’ve seen in the build-up, they’ll be expecting to head home with three points in the bag.
That’s hardly beyond the realms of possibility given their current form, and what should please Matildas fans most is that they’ve kept clean sheets in four of their six fixtures this year.
They also saw off the French despite limited involvement from captain Sam Kerr.
The Chelsea striker managed to get in behind the French defence on a handful of occasions on Friday night, but frustratingly for the Matildas, Kerr just couldn’t find the decisive ball required to break open the deadlock.
Yet Gustavsson clearly has an ace up his sleeve in the form of Mary Fowler, with the 20-year-old – who could have represented the Republic of Ireland given her father Kelvin hails from just outside Dublin – offering the Matildas a genuine X-factor heading into the tournament.
Is everything coming together at just the right time? For months Gustavsson has told critics to judge him on tournament results – and it’s now or never for a team that has the hopes of a nation pinned on them.
Which makes Thursday night’s encounter with the Irish a fascinating affair for a side that hasn’t always played its best football when the pressure is on.
The Irish will go into Thursday showdown somewhat underdone, after their friendly with Colombia in Brisbane on Friday night was abandoned after just 20 minutes owing to the South Americans’ overly physical play.
Midfielder Denise O’Sullivan was clattered into by Colombian midfielder Lorena Bedoya – who looked suspiciously like she raised an elbow to O’Sullivan’s throat – with the Irish choosing to abandon the fixture after stating they feared for their safety.
All of that should play into Australia’s hands come Thursday, but they’ll need to lean into the big-match experience of the likes of Steph Catley, Katrina Gorry and Caitlin Foord to help settle the nerves when the run out in front a sold-out Homebush crowd.
The World Cup is finally here.
And after years of waking up in the middle of the night just to feel like we’re part of the football world, isn’t it nice to be at the centre of it?
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Can I suggest that it’s the women’s game that will be a major contributor to the ascension of Australian football. I grew up with a Matilda who played more games for her country than Schwartzer Kewell and Cahill. She made the world 11 three times. She’s the first woman to make the Hall of Fame. She was as good as any of the lads and deserves equal respect.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Bloody Melbourne media. Just watch ABC breakfast
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
I could not have said it better I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
I'm currently working with Yanks and the word is there's a small Army of their supporters coming
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Maaaaate. Welcome to the faithful. It takes personal strength to make that sort of decision. You have my respect.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Stuff me' mushrooms Chris. Your are a football supporter in the truest sense. You have my respect brother.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Buddy do it for the Tilies, do it for football and do it for your nation mate. Imagine if the better part of 80 grand sing it, it’ll put the fear of the almighty into the backyard codes. I’m counting on you Buddy.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
What a bloody brilliant idea. Buy that man a cleansing beverage
Grem
Roar Rookie
I hope Sydney look after him. Nathan Amanitides is sky blue.
Para+Ten ISUZU Subway support Australian Football
Roar Rookie
I did reply to this, but somehow the comment has gone missing. This is on the WA gov tourist website. “Last year, four EPL teams – Manchester United, Aston Villa, Leeds United, and Crystal Palace – played at Optus Stadium, generating an economic impact of $77 million, including 4,700 out-of-State visitors to Perth.”
AGO74
Roar Rookie
@Buddy - agree with you 100%. My question to SS was in questioning him on his criticism of band wagon vs proper football fan. He considers himself a proper football fan (and I'm not saying he isn't - he is) but he then derides the band wagon in one sentence, but then on the other hand as a self-anointed proper football fan says that he's not going to the biggest event in football to be held here. You can't have it both ways. Whether you are hard core or casual, so long as you are attending and/or watching then the more the merrier.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
I am working in Bris-Vegas at the moment, hoping to get walk up tickets for Germany v Sth Korea
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
you lucky bugger, envy is an understatement. Grem have a cleansing beverage for me, and in support of Foordie's request get rowdy. Make a bit of noise.
liquorbox_
Roar Rookie
If Mary gets publicity due to her race then there are many in society who would attack her on social media and turn on her believing she gets special treatment because of race. Race should not be a factor in deciding publicity for a player. She deserves publicity on her skills.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
I havent seen any media attention on Alex Morgan. Rapinoe is the media magnet on the other hand for different reasons. For so many years De Vanna was my favourite female player , and she is absolutely hideous. The weirdest thing was Wendy Turnbull also difficult to look at, she was Australias highest ranking womens tennis player for a long while but treated in a poor fashion by the media, ignored unlike these days when the vaguest Aussie hope is talked up. Whenever an Australian was playing the commentators would be on their side but not with Wendy Turnbull they couldn't care less. However Andrea Jaeger who was a teenage prodigy felt bad about beating her one day and become obsessed with her , and not only lost to her deliberately after that, she took revenge on anyone who beat her.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Your numbers are wrong, its 29 games in NZ, and 35 in Australia. NZ even for the rugby womens cup they got 150k attendance. Not that Australia would have got more for a rugby womens world cup. FIFA are not going to be listening to any per capita arguments. They will be enourmously impressed by Australian ticket sales and wondering how and why NZ has got all those games. A mens world cup bid is on the line, and even if AFL has to be removed squawking and screaming and locked up. Canberra is as feminist as it gets, they get decent W-league crowds yes they should have been included. 7 Australian venues ,3 NZ and a better distribution and its about cracking the 2 million mark and getting the mens world cup not stuffing around per capita.
Nakinz 14
Roar Rookie
Yes when I was talking about FIFA growing the game I’m talking about womens not mens .. men’s game is soo huge ..you could take it to Iceland you get sell out games .. But women soccer World Cup been going since 1991 .. since then it has slowly got bigger and bigger .. the other problem why you couldn’t play the games in oz is due to FIFA policy on stadiums .. cos of the clash of the nrl and afl ..where are you going to play them in oz .. in nz .. we don’t have AFL and nrl .. only Auckland is with the warriors .. so you guys luck out .. Come to nz buddy .. you love our accents and lovely girls
Garry
Roar Rookie
"Most economic impact studies focus on three broad measures: income, direct spending, and visitor indirect spending. A measurement of income is needed to account for the scale of change from financial inputs to economic outputs."
Nakinz 14
Roar Rookie
You see Buddy your problem you were in the wrong city .. Wellington are terrible to support any team they have unless they in the final .. they never watch the hurricanes you are lucky to get 16 000 for any game .. depends where you are in nz .. with the sports .. yes rugby is our national game but watching live rugby game is actually a small market ..unless it’s the all blacks ..
Statler and Waldorf
Roar Guru
There's a few. But I don't think that the tournament has been very well promoted