‘This is only the beginning’: Matildas are ready for the biggest night of their lives
By Vince Rugari and Emma Kemp
Days before their magical World Cup journey began, the Matildas were paid a visit by their childhood hero Cathy Freeman. She told them they could inspire the nation, just like she did. And they have.
On Wednesday night, they return to Stadium Australia for the biggest night of their lives, the biggest game of football this country has ever seen, and Sydney’s biggest sporting occasion since Freeman’s famous run 23 years ago at the same venue.
Cathy Freeman inspired the Matildas.Credit: John Shakespeare
Along with the 75,000 in the crowd, millions across the country and more around the world will be glued to their screens in homes, live sites and other venues, willing them to victory in the semi-final against England and a shot at the ultimate prize. Their run has galvanised the nation, from updates on Sam Kerr’s calf to the heart-stopping penalty shootout against France, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called it “a phenomenon, it is something that’s beyond sport”.
For goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold, Australia’s new national hero, there is unfinished business.
“The legacy that we wanted to leave throughout this World Cup, to inspire the generation coming through ... we’ve done more than what we thought we would accomplish,” she said.
“But obviously, we’re not done yet. This is only the beginning. There’s much more to come.”
Those without a ticket will pile into live venues including Allianz and CommBank stadiums, where the doors will open for fans to cater for the insatiable demand for this team. Organisers are expecting about 10,000 at Moore Park and a further 10,000 at the Parramatta stadium.
Darling Harbour had a crowd of 11,000 during the Australia versus France match and similar numbers are expected for the semi-final.
And that’s not to mention all the pubs, clubs and lounge rooms that will be pumping. Sydney’s transport services will be put to the test as hundreds of thousands of fans crisscross the city to attend events.
Will this be the “Cathy Freeman moment” that Kerr and her teammates have so desperately wanted to give Australia? Hopefully not. Hopefully, this is just the entree, and they’ll be back here again on Sunday for the World Cup final to do it all again.
Coach Tony Gustavsson was asked what he would say if someone told him, before the World Cup, that the Matildas would end up right here, right now.
His answer said it all about the belief and determination powering his side.
“I would say to that person, I’m happy that you believe we will as well, because I do,” he said.
The Matildas have both stopped the nation and galvanised it, forced the postponement of evening news bulletins and AFL games while also prompting the opening of live sites around the country.
Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson and goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold on Tuesday.Credit: Edwina Pickles
They have done so not through controversy, or some big Ashes-esque rivalry that no player from either Australia or England will acknowledge, but by boiling sport down to its simplest, most pure form.
Australia’s quest to win the World Cup has become an unexpected source of tension for Albanese, who signalled he would lobby national cabinet for a public holiday should they succeed, only to be told by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton he “has tried to make the Matildas’ success all about him”.
“We’ll have a discussion if they win the final – I hope they do, and the whole of Australia hopes they do,” Albanese said on Tuesday.
For now, the sport is bigger than politics. Certainly, if television ratings are any indication. The Seven Network broadcast of the penalty shootout quarter-final win over France was viewed by 4.904 million in Australia – one of the country’s biggest audiences for a sporting event in 20 years.
Come 8pm, all eyes will once again be on the Matildas.
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