The hosts from Australia are still at the World Cup. Star striker Sam Kerr also returns to the field in the round of 16. The personnel draws a great deal of attention and fuels euphoria. That could help in the tournament.
The ball is passed back and forth in midfield, not much has happened in the first half of the World Cup round of 16 between Australia and Denmark when the crowds of fans suddenly start screaming. Almost all of the 75,784 spectators romp. But that’s not due to the game at Australia Stadium in Sydney. It’s what’s on the scoreboard. Or better: who. Sam Kerr. That’s enough to generate cheers. The regular captain of the Australians is on the bench. Again, she still hasn’t played a minute at this World Cup.
Hysteria mounted when the Chelsea striker returned to the screen after 67 minutes. She takes off her track jacket, puts on the tan jersey of the substitutes and goes to the warm-up zone. In the 80th minute, the feeling arises that the stadium roof is about to fly away, the escalation is so great when Sam Kerr actually comes on. From now on, every touch of the 29-year-old is accompanied by a loud roar, regardless of the fact that the first passes don’t arrive. When she actually shoots on goal in the 87th minute, but the ball clearly goes over it, that’s also worth a lot of screams.
Love for the woman, who sustained a calf injury in final training ahead of the World Cup opener against Ireland and had to sit on the bench to watch group games, is overwhelming. But the focus doesn’t do the game justice. Because it is above all Kerr’s team-mates who achieve the clear 2-0 win and entry into the quarter-finals. It’s Caitlin Foord, who scores the 1-0 in the 29th minute, it’s Mary Fowler, who puts in a perfect pass into the room, it’s Haley Raso, who scores in the 71st minute to make it 2-0 , it is the committed and very well-ordered defense that drives the Danish offensive around the future Bayern player Pernille Harder to despair over long stretches.
“Matildas” enjoy “incredible” mood
While Denmark never got the feeling that they could still turn the game around, it doesn’t even seem as if they believe in it themselves, the Australians play calmly and confidently – and that in front of the home fans, who are mostly dressed in yellow. The pressure was immense in the third group game against the Olympic champions from Canada, progress in the tournament was at stake. Even then they delivered mercilessly, sending the Canadians home 4-0.
The pressure isn’t any less now, the nervousness is noticeable at first, but apparently the “Matildas” can convert it – unlike the DFB team. Foord, who is voted Player of the Match, says: “You feel the pressure when you’re not prepared and we were prepared.” So they could have enjoyed the “incredible” support of the fans, of the whole nation. “We keep the dream alive.”
Foord knows what she’s talking about, at the age of 28 she is already playing her fourth World Cup, at the tournament in Germany in 2011 she made her World Cup debut at the age of just 16 and was subsequently named the best young player of the tournament and the best young player in Asia. No wonder, in her role as a defender, she was given the task of guarding none other than Marta in her first World Cup game. The Brazilian remained without a goal, Foord did an excellent job.
The woman, who grew up in Wollongong, north of Sydney, and started playing football with the Central Coast Mariners, has since racked up more than 100 caps. In the meantime, she moved further up the game from defense. “I’m happy with my performance,” she said after the game against Denmark, adding: “I’m relieved that the job is done.”
The name Kerr triggers something
What now comes for the “Matildas” will be a new challenge. They never went further than the quarter-finals at a World Cup, on Saturday (9 a.m. in the ntv.de live ticker) is this pending. Whether against France or Morocco will be decided in that round of 16 tomorrow, Tuesday. Then the Australian team has already landed in Brisbane, the game will go ahead, anyone who wants can watch, says coach Tony Gustavsson.
After the game, the focus on Kerr continues straight away. The media representatives are hardly more reserved in their enthusiasm than the fans. She was “obviously ready,” says Foord when asked about her teammate. Gustavsson, meanwhile, admits he got nervous when Kerr slipped in the penalty area late in the game, grabbing his ankle and then his groin. “She wanted to keep playing, so I hope everything is fine.”
However, the coach does not like the focus on Kerr. “To be successful you need more than one player.” And immediately afterwards emphasizes: “I have more than eleven players who deserve to be in the starting XI.” But the name Kerr triggers something. Maybe with the upcoming opponents too, it would be to the advantage of the hosts’ team. And it would be good for the mood. The stadium direction also contributes to this after the final whistle. A wild mix of “Down Under” by Men at Work and “Unstoppable” by Sia is played – the fans leave with this self-confidence.