The Matildas have advanced the women’s World Cup quarterfinals, where they will face either France or Morocco.
sent the Matildas to the brink of something gross: ouster before the knockout stage of a World Cup as co-host. As a byproduct of that energy and body language, Australia helped itself to one sparkler of a goal on a counterattack in the 29th minute, one clincher in a hectic Denmark box in the 70th, and two resounding dins.
The witnesses to all this merriment poured in off the trains and out of the parking lots toward the stadium that centered the 2000 Sydney Olympics. They wore gold, and also gold, and also gold, and then sometimes green. They carried flags the world never would have imagined 100 or even 50 years ago, reading GO MATILDAS. They lined up to buy Matildas apparel, with those Matildas scarves a must-have, really.
, and then a great sports country got its great play. It came in that 29th minute after Denmark, gracing its first World Cup since 2007, hogged possession as it can, and after its star, 30-year-old Pernille Harder, got herself one decent chance that ended up rolling right to goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold. It came after Denmark erred on a cross down in the Australia end, and Fowler got the ball in the middle.
“The way Mary brought it down and controlled it,” Kerr marveled of Fowler, who hadn’t quite reached the defensive side of the center circle when she knew in her eyes and bones that Foord had begun a dash up the left side. The ball Fowler sent left-footed toward the spot Foord figured to reach had its own skittering loveliness, even had it led to zilch.
And it did loose a sound both earthly and otherworldly, as if to uphold Raso’s point that “being the host nation is also a huge advantage.” Australia, filled by then with enough belief that hanging on never seemed uncertain, headed head-on for a place it has visited thrice before — the quarterfinals — except, this time, riding a gigantic raft of noise.
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