Matildas bow out having failed to capitalise on glimmers of promise | Ella Reilly

The stark reality of tournament football will show the Matildas failed to match their performance in 2015

• Norway 1-1 Australia (4-1 on pens): player ratings

In the end, it wasn’t defensive jitters that felled Australia’s hopes of World Cup glory. While the Matildas had some semblance of luck during the 120 minutes of normal and then extra-time – Norway hit the crossbar and side netting, and a rebound off the inside of an upright rolled out rather than in – it seemed possible that the Matildas might have just enough to see them through to the quarter-finals. Yet this good fortune ultimately could not extend to the cruelty of a penalty shootout.

The stark reality of tournament football will show that the Matildas have failed to better their performance. It also shows that the side fell to European opposition once again. In their last three games against European countries (Norway, Italy, the Netherlands) the Matildas have lost. The short space of time between these defeats perhaps points to an inability at this moment in time to orient to the challenges posed by European football.

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from Football | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/jun/23/matildas-bow-out-having-failed-to-capitalise-on-glimmers-of-promise