Coach sheds light on savage pre-game 'curve ball'

Matildas manager Tony Gustavsson has opened up connected the circumstances down Alanna Kennedy's unavailability from Wednesday night's World Cup semi-final aft she was a daze omission erstwhile the squad expanse was released earlier kick-off.

Just implicit an hr earlier the semi last against England was scheduled to commencement the large squad quality caught everyone disconnected guard, though it was overshadowed by the determination to commencement Sam Kerr.

Veteran Clare Polkinghorne was chosen successful her cardinal defender presumption but it was wide determination were problems astatine the back, with England cutting Australia to pieces successful a 3-1 victory.

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Post-game, Gustavsson revealed however overmuch clip his broadside had to hole without Kennedy successful the line-up.

"It seems to beryllium 1 of those tournaments wherever curve shot aft curve shot has been thrown astatine us, and I deliberation the squad has been tremendous astatine being capable to accommodate astatine immoderate has been thrown astatine us," helium said.

"At luncheon clip contiguous we got the announcement from the aesculapian squad that Alanna was ruled out, we had to marque a past infinitesimal change. We've done a batch of those this tourney and been really, truly bully astatine dealing with it."

Gustavsson went connected to explicate Kennedy's replacement was besides inactive battling to scope afloat fittingness aft suffering a ft wounded successful the pb up to the tournament. 

"Clare Polkinghorne is precise experienced, mentally has nary occupation stepping successful to play the game, but the situation for her was she hasn't played a crippled for a very, precise agelong clip (and is) coming backmost from wounded - truthful it wounded (having) the constricted crippled clip and constricted grooming clip coming into this tournament," helium said.

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"And besides Sam (Kerr) the constricted grooming time, you could spot some were 2 players that really, truly needed to excavation heavy successful the 2nd half. The ones that had a batch of minutes successful them were superb successful the 2nd half, not that Polks and Sam weren't brilliant."

Polkinghorne was yet replaced successful the 81st lucifer astatine 2-1 down arsenic Gustavsson searched for a goal, bringing connected attacking midfielder Emily Van Egmond successful the reshuffle.

The manager explained her substitution came down to 2 reasons. 

"We wanted immoderate caller legs successful there, she was bushed at that clip and we needed a goal," helium added.