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The Matildas have continued to shatter Australian viewing records, with Wednesday night’s World Cup semi-final loss to England pulling in the biggest audience since audience measurement company OzTAM’s records began in 2001.
A staggering 11.15 million Australians tuned into the 3-1 defeat, with an average audience nationwide of 7.13 million, according to figures released on Thursday morning.
With nearly a million of those watching the match via streaming service 7plus, it also broke Australian streaming records.
That doesn’t even take into account the hundreds of thousands of Australians watching the match at public venues such as Federation Square in Melbourne, which saw an audience large enough to prompt fears of a crowd crush on Wednesday night; or figures from streaming service Optus Sport, which is yet to reveal its data.
“Australia was captivated last night as the Matildas played their hearts out and did us all proud,” Seven’s head of sport Lewis Martin said in a statement.
“Although their FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 journey ended last night, the Matildas have re-written the history books and captured the hearts and minds of the nation with a performance that is sure to inspire generations of Australians for many years to come.
“Seven is beyond proud to have played a part in bringing Australia together around our screens, as the Matildas’ performance captured the Australian spirit like nothing we have seen in decades.”
The capital-city viewer count of 4.5 million is likewise a record with 1.4 and 1.38 million alone in Sydney and Melbourn respectively.
Having ridden the coat-tails of the Matildas throughout their Women’s World Cup campaign, Anthony Albanese’s latest message of support for the team has been met with swift calls for the Prime Minister to put the nation’s money where his mouth is.
After Australia’s hopes of a dream title on home soil were ended with a 3-1 loss to England at Stadium Australia on Wednesday night, Mr Albanese took to Twitter to praise the Matildas’ ‘incredible skill, ferocity and flair in defeat’.
“@TheMatildas are an absolute inspiration. You’ve shown incredible skill, ferocity and flair, and a camaraderie that defines what it means to play team sport,” Mr Albanese wrote.
“You’ve given us all moments and memories that will last a lifetime. Cortnee Vine rocketing the ball into the net in the final penalty against France. Mackenzie Arnold’s brick-wall saves. Sam Kerr leading the team on and off the field.
“Every single Matilda has brought us joy throughout this @FIFAWWC. And I have no doubt that the next generation of Matildas were watching. We’ll all be cheering for you on Saturday.”
However, the prevailing response to the praise was to urge the PM to continue the upward progression of football in Australia and ensure government funding is given to the sport, money previously dominated by the AFL and NRL in particular.
The response comes after Australian football icon Craig Foster called out politicians nationwide for jumping on the Matildas’ bandwagon throughout the World Cup, saying he has kept ‘receipts’ and will hold them to their support.
“Every MP who’s held up a ‘go Matildas’ sign or put out a tweet saying ‘Tillies till I die’, there’s receipts and I’ve tucked them all away, and I’ll be coming for you in the future, because there’s a price to pay when you’re doing that,” Foster told The Canberra Times on Saturday.
Speaking after the loss, Matildas captain Sam Kerr echoed the calls for greater funding for the sport, saying she hopes the team’s remarkable run ‘is the start of something new’.
“We need funding in our development, we need funding in our grassroots. We need funding everywhere,” Kerr said.
“Comparison to other sports isn’t really good enough and hopefully this tournament kind of changes that because that’s the legacy you leave, not what you do on the pitch.
“The legacy is what you do off the pitch. Hopefully. I mean, it’s hard to talk about now, but hopefully that this is the start of something new.”
Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson agreed, saying “This is not the end of something, this needs to be the start of something – and that comes with money as well.”
Sam Kerr thanks the fans after Australia’s World Cup semi-final loss. (Photo by Zhizhao Wu/Getty Images)
A Tweet from the Prince and Princess of Wales praising England’s World Cup semi-final win over Australia while paying tribute to the Matildas’ efforts have been panned by Craig Foster.
The Australian football icon bit back at what he deemed a ‘patronising pat on the head’ from the royal duo.
“What a phenomenal performance from the @Lionesses – on to the final! Commiserations to @TheMatildas, you’ve played brilliantly and been fantastic co-hosts of this World Cup,” the message read.
Foster, though, was unimpressed, saying that the Prince and Princess have had ‘not a word for Australia’ throughout the tournament.
“We prefer the honesty. Without the patronising pat on the head in defeat,” Foster wrote.
“Support @lionesses & let us get on with our business, mate.”
Foster finished with a cheeky call for Australia to secede from the UK, tagging in the Australian Republic Movement.
The Prince and Princess weren’t the only English royals to direct praise the Matildas’ way, with King Charles also sending a message of commiseration.
“While your [England’s] victory may have cost the magnificent Matildas their chance for the greatest prize in the game, both teams have been an inspiration on and off the pitch – and, for that, both nations are united in pride, admiration and respect,” His Majesty said.
The elation of scoring a goal for the ages means little to Matildas captain Sam Kerr after her side’s gut-wrenching elimination from the Women’s World Cup.
Kerr’s thunderbolt in the 63rd minute looked to have flipped Wednesday’s meeting with England on its head as she sent the Stadium Australia crowd into a frenzy.
But the glee of her majestic 30-yard rocket was short lived with the Lionesses qualifying for Sunday’s final with two late goals that secured them a 3-1 win.
Kerr has had to endure a frustrating tournament, only returning in cameo stints in the knockout stages after missing the entire group stage with a calf problem.
The semi-final defeat was her first start of the competition.
The fact the Matildas had even got this far without her was an achievement but Kerr could not help but feel devastated by the semi-final exit.
“All I can think about is disappointment right now,” Kerr told reporters when asked about her goal.
“I think that’s kind of the only thing that’s keeping me smiling right now, is the way that we’ve inspired the nation, everyone’s got behind us.
“The tournament’s been amazing, every single team, player, person that’s visited has said how beautiful our country is.
“So I think for us, it’s been hopefully life-changing for women’s football in Australia.”
Kerr had a number of chances late in the game to draw Australia level but the Matildas skipper was unable to convert, blasting one over the bar and having another cleared off the line.
It is unclear how she will be used in Saturday’s third-place play-off against Sweden in Brisbane given her heavy load in the quarter-final and semi-final.
Coach Tony Gustavsson said Kerr was beating herself up for her failure to get the Matildas back into the game.
Kerr said England’s composure was the difference between the two sides after the Lionesses hit them on the counter late in the game to seal victory.
“There was only a couple of moments in the game and I guess they took theirs,” Kerr said.
“I thought it was honestly pretty even and from where I was sitting it kind of ebbed and flowed each way but after we scored I thought we were going to go and score another.
“Then they kind of took momentum back so I guess it felt like it would have been a great game to watch honestly from where I was.”
(AAP)
With hosts Australia brushed aside, England boss Sarina Wiegman has her side in a World Cup and potentially just 90 minutes from ending 57 years of hurt.
Wiegman described the achievement of a 3-1 win over the Matildas in Wednesday’s semi-final as “like a fairytale”, as goals from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo secured England’s victory.
The Lionesses will meet Spain at Stadium Australia on Sunday with Wiegman charged with ending England’s wait for a World Cup title – in men’s or women’s football – that stretches all the way back to 1966.
“Going to the final feels really good,” Wiegman said.
“I know you don’t take anything for granted and it’s so hard to reach a final.
“Even though you might be the favourite, we’ve seen a lot at this tournament where good teams have gone out in the group stage.
“Every step has been really hard but we find a way, and the women’s game has grown so much it’s really hard to get through.
“I know it’s really special and that’s how it feels too.”
Not since Sir Alf Ramsey’s 4-2 victory over West Germany at Wembley nearly six decades ago has England won a world title.
It has been a millstone around English necks for generation after generation, although Wiegman’s side went some way to relieve that pressure by winning last year’s Euros.
Dutch-born Wiegman is now into her fourth straight major final after taking her homeland and England to successive Euros and World Cup finals.
The Lionesses were assured throughout Wednesday’s semi-final and even when Sam Kerr levelled the scores on the hour mark, they kept composed with Hemp and Russo guiding them to victory inside 90 minutes.
“There was no fear in the squad,” Hemp said.
“That showed the relentlessness in the squad to make it 2-1 and when we were on the back foot we found the way to make it 3-1.
“Any challenge we face, we’re able to deal with it.
“We’ve all got a dream and I feel like we’re really pushing each other to be the best that we can be.”
(AAP)
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