- Matildas march on into the last eight
- Gunners striker Foord makes the difference
- Chelsea superstar still nursing knock
TELL ME MORE: The poster girl of the global gathering Down Under was yet to kick a ball in anger during the home tournament heading into Monday's meeting with the Danes. Kerr was named on the bench for the eagerly-anticipated last-16 encounter, but did little during the pre-match warm-up and remained among the substitutes for 80 minutes in Sydney as she works her way back from a calf injury.
In the end, the Matildas did not need their talismanic all-time leading goalscorer to play any more than 10 minutes, with another forward that plies her club trade in England making a decisive contribution. Arsenal striker Caitlin Foord broke the deadlock on the night, much to the delight of her international team-mate that continues to star for Chelsea.
There were 29 minutes on the clock when Foord’s big moment arrived, and she was ready for it. A sweeping counter-attack allowed Australia to create a pocket of space for their No.9 inside the penalty area, and she displayed admirable composure to fire a left-footed effort through the legs of onrushing Danish goalkeeper Lene Christensen.
A cagey affair played out from that point, with the home side all too aware of what they had to lose. They were prepared to sit deep and prevent the Danes from grabbing any kind of hope, but a passionate home support continued to cheer them on and the odd opportunity did present itself.
One of those was taken in style, with Real Madrid star Hayley Raso calming any nerves in the 70th minute when a dinked cross into the box was touched into her path and she made no mistake when drilling into the bottom corner. The stage was then set for Kerr to make her long-awaited appearance, with arguably the biggest cheer of the night reserved for her introduction.
THE MVP: Australia were crying out for a hero, and it was Foord that responded to that call. The 28-year-old hit 12 goals for Arsenal last season – matching her personal-best return across any given campaign – and has carried that confidence into international duty. It would have been easy for her to snatch at the opportunity that came her way just before the half-hour mark, but the Gunners forward kept her cool and spotted a route to the back of the net through the tightest of gaps.
THE BIG LOSER: Not really a loser, but the Matildas have been desperate to get Kerr out on the field. No risks have been taken on her fitness and she has been largely restricted to a cheerleader role, with only limited game time seen by a global superstar that was expected to take the competition by storm. A late cameo appearance may be no bad thing, though, for the Chelsea ace – who has 63 international goals to her name – as she will have shaken a little rust as Australia count down the days to their first appearance in the quarter-finals of the Women’s World Cup.
MATCH IN THREE PHOTOS:
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GettyWHAT NEXT? Australia are yet to discover who they will face in the last eight, with either France or Morocco up next. For Denmark, it is a case of back to the drawing board as their attention shifts towards qualification for the Women’s European Championship in 2025.
MATCH RATING: ⭐⭐⭐