Australia overcome loss of Kerr to defeat Ireland

Sam Kerr leaping into the air to celebrate a goal was what all of Australia wanted to see at Stadium Australia on Thursday night.

What they wouldn’t have anticipated, however, is that she would be doing it on one leg in her tracksuit on the sidelines.

Sadly, for Australia’s sake, that doomsday scenario is exactly what transpired after the Chelsea superstar was ruled out just 90 minutes before kick off after picking up a calf injury at the Matildas final training session.

When the news filtered through you could feel the stadium deflate as the air was sucked out of it, with fans pondering just what the Matildas looked like without their talismanic striker.

That question might not have been resoundingly answered, but a 1-0 win, courtesy of a Steph Catley penalty early in the second half, will do plenty to settle the nerves as Australia now turn their attention to Nigeria in Brisbane next week.

Opening games at the World Cup aren’t always pretty. There’s nerves mixed with a fear of not wanting to start the campaign on a losing note. That is amplified when you’re the home nation, and when your best player is ruled out just before kick off, there’s also a large dose of anxiety involved as well.

As Australia struggled to break down a stubborn Irish outfit, in front of a record crowd of 75,784, the easy conclusion to make is that Australia missed Sam Kerr, but that would be an overly simplistic way in which to view the outcome.

Kerr is the ultimate silent assassin. She can at times seem on the periphery of games, but needs just one moment in which to slay the opposition.

For as good as she is – and she is very, very good – she is only as good as the service being provided to her.

That has often been Australia’s Achilles heel and so it was again at Stadium Australia as they struggled to find a way through the discplined Irish defence. Vera Pauw’s side made their intentions clear with a 5-4-1 formation designed to stifle and frustrate Australia, and for the large part it worked.

Mary Fowler, who came into the side for Kerr, struggled to find the pockets of space she needed to have an impact on the game, while Foord, who moved to the point of the attack in place of Kerr, equally struggled ith the tight marking of the Irish defenders.

It’s no surprise, therefore, that Australia’s opening goal would come courtesy of a penalty after Hayley Raso was shoved over in the box by Marissa Sheva.

While Australian nerves may have been calmed momentarily, the penalty seemed to awaken to Irish who, to their credit, had the better of the rest of the contest and put the Australian defence under enormous pressure.

Goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold was called upon on numerous occasions as the Irish tried to make the most of their renowned set piece ability.

But this was to be Australia’s night, and while their golden girl may have been consigned to the sidelines, there was nothing that could take the shine off a golden night for Australian football.

THINGS WE LEARNED

Mini Stands Tall – In case we needed any more reminders of the importance of Katrina Gorry to this Matildas side, Thursday’s night’s match was all the proof we needed. The spiritual ‘mother’ of the side, the veteran put in a vintage display in midfield. Calm, composed and controlled, she was at the heart of almost everything the Matildas created during the opening half. Be it dictating the tempo, , looking to play the ball forward or being the disruptor in midfield, the 30-year-old did it all.

Hunt the ultimate find – It’s hard to believe Clare Hunt only made her debut for the Matildas this year. Only 24, she plays with all the smarts and composure of a 10-year veteran, and looks right at home at the heart of the Matildas defence alongside Alanna Kennedy. A smart reader of the ball, who knows where she needs to be positioned at all times, her calmness and composure filters through to those around her.

Australia need a creative spark – For all the ecstacy there was after the win, the Matildas will walk away from Stadium Australia knowing there is plenty of work still to be done if they want to achieve the ultimate aim of winning the World Cup on home soil. Top of the list will be finding the creative spark that was so often missing against Ireland on Thursday night. Ireland didn’t make it easy, and they deserve credit for that, but Tony Gustavsson will perhaps need to tweak things to open up the Australian attack.

WHAT THEY SAID

Steph Catley

“I knew I was on pens tonight, (and) I had a feeling I was going to get one. I dont know why, when I woke up this morning I just felt like I was going to take a pen today. When it happened I just tried to relax, I like taking set pieces, picked a spot, took a deep breath and hit it where I wanted to hit it and lucky it went in.”

“I thought Ireland were incredible. We knew they were going to be so difficult to break down and do what they do well, and they did everything we expected. They’re one of the best teams in the world on set pieces and they put us under the pump a lot.”

“Yeah it was tough, it was probably one of the most heartbreaking moments of my career. Sam is one of the best players in the world, she’s the spiritual leader. She means so much to this team. To have her go down a day before a moment like this was pretty awful.

“But as a team it added a little something to us. It added a fire, it added a fight and I think everyone looked at it and said ‘I have to step up.’ You know, Sam is still around. She still has to reflect on the team, she’s in every meeting, she’s in there at half time talking to everyone, she’s doing the pre-game talk. She’s Sam, and she’s still with us.”

Ellie Carpenter

“We knew it was going to be this kind of game. We knew for the past five weeks we were going to face exactly this, so we trained for it. We knew it was going to be frustrating. I don’t like these type of games, but you have to win. You don’t have to play great football to get three points.”

“Walking out, it was more than a game. It was an occasion tonight. It was very emotional signing the national anthem, hearing 80,000 people sing it with you. It was such a special moment, one I’ll remember forever.

WHAT COMES NEXT

Australia will return to their base in Brisbane and switch their focus to Nigeria, who they will face at Brisbane Stadium next week. The good news, on top of the win, was that aside from Sam Kerr each player appeared to make it through unscathed, so Gustavsson should have a full squad from which to choose as they look to make it two wins from two.