Major gamble Matildas must take after 'we got worse'

9 months ago 71

The Nigerian nationalist caller is simply a 1958 publication called Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, but its rubric could arsenic good picture the Matildas connected Thursday night, particularly successful cardinal moments either broadside of half-time successful their 3-2 nonaccomplishment to Nigeria astatine the FIFA Women's World Cup successful Brisbane.

The question present is however to propulsion things backmost together.

The bully quality is that the Matildas were acold from terrible. They dominated the stats sheet, winning 15 corners to two, controlling 65 per cent of possession to Nigeria's 35, and completing 468 passes to 269.

PLAYER RATINGS: How each Matilda performed successful devastating loss

But portion the stats archer a promising story, yet they're astir arsenic invaluable arsenic Monopoly money. Goals are the currency of football, and the scoreboard and World Cup array some grounds that Nigeria scored much of them than we did.

The hard information is that arsenic the crippled rolled on, the Africans got amended and we got worse. It felt similar the Matildas needed a whipper snipper to chopped done that large greenish antiaircraft wall, but they ne'er made it past the sausage stall retired the beforehand of Bunnings.

Caitlin Foord of Australia reacts aft a missed chance. (FIFA via Getty Images)

The Matildas' inability to person territorial dominance into goals is officially present a problem. Coach Tony Gustavsson freely admitted arsenic overmuch successful a post-match interview.

"We had astir of the possession… but astatine the extremity of the time it's astir putting the shot successful the backmost of the net," the 49-year-old Swede said.

In truth, that was besides the communicative of the Matildas' archetypal lucifer against Ireland. Steph Catley's well-taken punishment masked our deficiency of attacking spark to a degree, oregon astatine slightest gave america the luxury of ignoring it.

Emily van Egmond's deft decorativeness precocious successful the archetypal fractional to nonstop Australia up 1-0 against Nigeria besides gave you the little feeling that everything was coming up Tillies connected the goal-scoring front. But the joyousness was short-lived.

The Matildas deficiency brilliance up front. This is the inescapable but not unchangeable truth.

Catley forces aboriginal save

So wherever to find players with the slayer instinct to find the backmost of the net? They've been sitting connected the sideline, and they spell by the names of Sam Kerr and Mary Fowler, that's where.

Hopefully Fowler volition apt beryllium backmost for Monday night's must-win clash against Canada successful Melbourne aft she missed the Nigeria crippled with a mild concussion sustained successful training. As for Kerr, see these among the archetypal of astir 27 cardinal words which volition beryllium written Australia-wide betwixt present and Monday connected the taxable of her availability.

Australian sporting folklore is riddled with stories of players struggling retired of infirmary beds and throwing distant the crutches to play their portion successful heroic victories. It's clip for different instalment successful this saga.

Kerr primitively said her calf strain should beryllium close successful clip for the knockout signifier of the tournament, arsenic though getting determination was a formality. Memo: it's not.

All eyes volition beryllium connected Sam Kerr's presumption for the Canada game. (Justin Setterfield via Getty Images)

If we don't bushed Canada, past we're arsenic dormant arsenic the nightlife successful the Canadian superior Ottawa. If the 10th-ranked Matildas are to upset the world's seventh-ranked squad and reigning Olympic champions, surely Kerr indispensable instrumentality the field.

Unfortunately, determination are ever deeper forces astatine play successful specified situations. There whitethorn good beryllium unit connected Gustavsson from Kerr's English club, Chelsea, not to hazard semipermanent injury.

Gustavsson himself volition nary uncertainty beryllium wary of aggravating Kerr's calf and losing Australia's all-time starring planetary scorer for the remainder of the tournament, should the Matildas marque it past Canada.

The latest connection is that a determination volition beryllium made precocious connected Monday aft Kerr faces a fittingness test. If she's adjacent fractional fit, past bash the close happening by Australia, Tony, and get her retired there.

There are players successful each sports that don't conscionable make magic themselves, they marque magic hap astir them by their precise beingness connected the field. The Matildas close present deficiency spark.

Their on-field connection is shaky, and their assurance intelligibly a small shaken. Sam Kerr tin alteration each that, adjacent connected 1 leg.

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