It is perhaps testament to Australia's World Cup performances that they were “disappointed” to miss out on the final but, in their pursuit of glory, the Matildas have won over a nation.
England beat the co-hosts 3-1 in Wednesday's semi-final to deny them a first World Cup final on home soil. But Australia head coach Tony Gustavsson said it is “just the beginning” for the Matildas.
“I hate to lose, but this is bigger than 90 minutes of football,” he said.
En route to reaching the last four for the first time, the Matildas have captivated Australia, winning over fans across the country and thriving in front of their record-breaking home crowds. Wednesday's match was the most-watched event on national television since at least 2001, holding an average audience of over 7 million viewers.
Across the country, bars and pop-up viewing sites were maxed out. And the match didn't disappoint, delivering moments of both agony and ecstasy – including Sam Kerr's stunning equaliser in the 63rd minute.
“Kerr's goal was insane and showed the world the calibre of Australian footballers. The reaction at the pub last night was electric,” Sydney-based fan Rochelle Mallett told the BBC.
“Australians now know the Matildas' names – not just Sam Kerr but Mackenzie Arnold, Caitlin Foord. We are so proud of them all. They have truly united us.”
But for many, the loss against an old rival is raw.
“Putting English muffins in my toaster and toasting them over and over till they disintegrate,” Australian radio presenter Matt Bevan wrote online.
The Matildas have surpassed their best performance at a World Cup, which was a quarter-final exit on three separate occasions – and will aim to finish third when they take on three-time bronze medallists Sweden on Saturday.
“I feel like, as a team, we have so much belief and so much confidence as a group,” added Swede Gustavsson.
“No matter what's happened on the outside, no matter who we've come up against, every challenge we've managed to solve. Every game we've managed to compete – and come out on top.
“Right now we're not happy about being in the semi-final, we're disappointed about not being in the final.
“We want to go one step further – we all have a dream.”
‘We've won the heart and passion for this game'
Just like England, who won their first major trophy on home soil last year with the Euros, Australia witnessed record crowds and went further than perhaps many thought possible.
The build-up to the last-four match was the talk of Australia this week, with the team's exploits covering the front and back pages of newspapers across the country as fans revelled in ‘Matildas Mania'. Australia can now see the benefits of success in a home tournament, giving them confidence to perform on the world stage and inspiring a generation of young players.
“I'm happy that people believed we could win this tournament,” said Gustavsson.
“We felt that belief, we had this belief for a long time internally. We are maybe not as high ranked, or have as many big players or the same resources, but we have something else very special in this team.
“I don't think it's too early [to think about winning the World Cup], but I also think it's just the beginning of something.
“We are maximising the resources we have right now. The return of the investment is very good but let's invest more and be genuine contenders.”
Australia's talismanic striker Sam Kerr echoed her manager's thoughts, saying the result was “disappointing” but that she would reflect on a successful tournament in other ways.
“I have to think of all the things the team have done, and I have done, to be where we are now and to inspire a nation,” added Kerr.
“I can only speak for the Matildas but we need funding in our development, we need funding in our grassroots.” Gustavsson added the result was “bigger than 90 minutes of football”, with the Matildas attracting more fans to women's football over the past four weeks.
“We're very disappointed that we lost, but hopefully we won something else,” he said. “We've won the heart and the passion for this game in this country.”
— CutC by bbc.com
