Sweat dripping, adrenaline coursing, a wry smile sambaing across her face, Sam Kerr issued her post match reaction. “I’m so proud of the girls, we knew we were in it at half-time. And, you know, there was a lot of critics talking about us. But we’re back. So suck on that one”.
If ever a game could constitute a retort as bullish as the one issued by Australia’s victorious captain, it was this. While the critics were determined to use Sunday’s defeat to Italy as grounds to recourse to off-field politics and controversies, the Matildas were determined to use the devastation of that loss as grounds upon which to assert their strength of character. In a game backdropped by swirling media narratives and the Mediterranean heat, neither Kerr nor her teammates could countenance a group stage elimination with a defeat today.
Brazil, of course, are a well-known foe. But with three wins in their previous four encounters, the South Americans are a team the Matildas know how to beat. Finding themselves back in an underdog position by needing a result and then staring down the barrel of a two-goal deficit ensured what was always going to be a spiky encounter also hit the psychological reset button for the Matildas’ World Cup campaign.
Changes in personnel no doubt helped. The return of Elise Kellond-Knight to the starting XI restored a sense of poise and fluidity to the side, who in their previous fixture looked increasingly uncomfortable with the pressure. At the Stade de la Mosson, they heeded assistant coach Mel Andreatta’s directive “to apply our principles across the 90 minutes of the game” and “believe we can execute each of those principles in every moment of the game”.
But the Seleção weren’t going to make it easy for the Matildas. That would be too simple. A suckerpunch penalty came after Kellond-Knight grabbed Letícia Santos’ shirt and Marta buried her effort from the spot. Then a second goal. A sense of deja vu from Sunday threatened to imbue the evening; Cristiane netted again and a team in blue and white had delivered two goals.
And yet. Moments suggested that all was not lost. Vital interventions from goalkeeper Lydia Williams frustrated Brazil’s attack, and Caitlin Foord’s scrambled finish seconds before the half-time whistle ensured that the Matildas could return to the changing rooms with the flicker of a result in sight.
Brazil’s decision at the break to withdraw skipper Marta (no doubt with the knock-out stages in mind and Formiga (already set to miss Brazil’s clash with Italy after picking up her second yellow card of the tournament), led to a subtle subduing. The swagger which had characterised the period in which the South Americans held the lead ebbed as the second half settled in. Fewer were the surging midfield runs, less threatening the crosses from wide. The pendulum of momentum began to swing the Matildas’ way.
In a similar way, so too did the contribution of Kerr. It was her presence, rather than outright goals, in this fixture that proved vital. Chloe Logarzo’s equaliser in the shadows of half-time was aimed at her, and she was again in the mix when the ball came off Monica for the winner. Never will Kerr have been more pleased to make such a contribution without adding a physical, decisive touch.
While the Matildas looked vulnerable to the threat of Debinha down the flanks and Marta’s string-pulling at quick turnovers in the middle, this was tempered by the fact that, in contrast to Sunday, they looked a side increasingly confident in nullifying opposition attacks. While defence might remain a concern, that they have demonstrated the force of will to pull back a two-goal deficit – becoming only the second team in the Women’s World Cup history to do so – signals a turning point in their campaign and a progression from their opening fixture.
