Kerr returns as Australia advance to quarter finals

Australia has equalled their best ever performance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, defeating Denmark 2-0 to reach the quarter finals in front a record equalling crowd at Stadium Australia.

Goals in either half to Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso sealed the deal for Australia, but it was the sight of superstar Sam Kerr getting her first minutes of the tournament that really warmed the hearts of those in green and gold.

Australia may have scored twice but the biggest cheer of the night was reserved for the arrival of Kerr late in the second half. It’s not often a substitution elicits such a reaction, but this was no ordinary substitution.

This was Sam Kerr. The heart, soul and face of this Australian team. The Matildas suddenly felt whole again.

The last time Sam Kerr stood on the sidelines of Stadium Australia the emotions were very different, with cameras catching tears being shed as the reality of her calf injury sustained 24 hours prior to the opening game hit home.

Fast forward 19 days and you couldn’t wipe the smile off her face as she prepared to replace Hayley Raso with just under 15 minutes remaining.

Gustavsson, unsurprisingly, elected to name an unchanged XI to the one that put four past Canada in Melbourne last week, with Kerr again named to start on the bench, leading to the inevitable question of when, or indeed if, we would see her make an appearance.

That question, which has been on everyone’s lips for the better part of three weeks, was finally answered in the 80th minute.

While Kerr unquestionably makes Australia a better team, the performance of Foord on Australia’s left, as was the case last week against Canada, negated her absence.

The Arsenal forward, playing in her fourth World Cup, was at her electric best, flying down the flank and terrorising the Danish defence with her speed and quick feet

In front of 75,784 at Stadium Australia – the exact same number as watched Australia’s opening game against Ireland – the Australians actually looked a little overawed by the occasion early. Passes were wayward, and lines were being broken which only invited the early pressure on the Australian goal.

Denmark weren’t in any mood to be the postscript on a night of celebration for Australia, and it was the Scandinavians that had the better of the opening exchanges, with Harder and Madsen both getting good looks at Australia’s goal, although neither were able to truly test Mackenzie Arnold.

With each forway forward, however, the tension in the crowd only grew as Australia struggled to gain a foothold in the battle.

But all that changed in the blink of an eye and the twinkle of Mary Fowler’s feet.

The tension was released with a cacophonous roar just before the half hour mark when a beautiful turn and release in the heart of midfield by Fowler released Caitlin Foord into space, and from there the Arsenal forward made no mistake, slipping the ball between the legs of XXX to send the CROWD into ecstacy.

The early stages of the second half were a replica of the first as Denmark came out the stronger of the two teams, consistently threatening the Australian defence and finding space in between the lines, forcing Australia to retreat deeper and deeper.

But as it was in the first half Australia weathered the storm and then produced a single moment of brilliance to tear the game open. Fowler was involved again, and like she did last week Raso drilled home a shot that left Lene Christensen stranded.

It was enough to break Danish spirits, and enough to seal Australia’s progression through to the last eight.

WHAT WE LEARNED

Foord on Fire: Australia might have been without superstar striker Sam Kerr, but the performances of Caitlin Foord in the past two matches against Canada and Denmark have more than made up for her absence. The Arsenal striker was the best player on the pitch, constantly threatening down the left-hand side

Fowler the future: So long as Mary Fowler been around this Australian team – she was a member of the squad at the previous World Cup in France – that it’s hard to believe she is still only just 20 years of age. While she can have a tendency to float in and out of games, her ability to turn the game in an instant makes her a constant threat.

Australia just got stronger: It may not have been a completely dominant performance, but Australia will take the win and look forward to returning to Brisbane where they will face the winner of the match between France and Morocco. And they’ll do so with a certain Sam Kerr at their disposal.

WHAT THEY SAID

Tony Gustavsson

“I am very proud of the players’ maturity tonight. Denmark came out and surprised us; 4-4-2, high press and did not shy away from the occasion.

“We knew that (Pernille) Harder was going to be hard to deal with in the space between the midfield and the backline, and I think we struggled in the first 15 minutes.

“But in tournament football, I’ve said it before, you need to play the game right in front of you and find ways to win and the maturity of the players showed tonight. I’m very, very proud.

“I think we found our way into (the game) in the middle of the first half when we did some tactical adjustments. And then a collective effort to keep a clean sheet together with some individual brilliance on the break, like Caitlin Foord for tonight, for example was enough to get away with the win tonight.

Sam Kerr

“It was obviously a relief on a personal level, but it felt amazing. The girls have been absolutely smashing it the last few games, so to join them on the pitch finally after they’ve been doing all the work, it was an amazing feeling for me.

“It makes me feel really good. Australia has really taken us on as one of their favourite teams, and me personally the last three weeks everyone has supported me and I just feel lucky to be a part of this team, because they’re an amazing bunch of girls and we’ve got an amazing crowd behind us that’s going to support us.”

Caitlin Foord

“I’m so proud of everyone tonight. We knew if we defended well there was going to be chances and we were going to score, and that’s what we did tonight.

“The crowd was massive. They’ve been out 13th man all tournament and they’re going to continue to be that, and when we’re tired I guess it helps you push through that.

“It’s massive for us to have a player like (Kerr) back. It boosts our confidence, and I don’t know how they (Denmark) felt but I would’ve been pretty worried seeing Sam Kerr come on.”

WHAT COMES NEXT

Australia return to their base camp in Brisbane, and it’s in the Queensland capital where they will play their next game, against either France or Morocco on Saturday evening at Brisbane Stadium.

Perhaps ominously, Australia’s national teams don’t have a great record at Brisbane Stadium in major tournaments. The Socceroos lost their only game of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Brisbane, while the Matildas also lost at the same venue to Nigeria earlier this tournament.