Learning that Sam Kerr was injured and would be sitting out Australia’s opening match against Ireland on Thursday night came as a devastating blow, just hours before kick-off.
We should have known something was up, as Kerr was absent from photos showing the team’s pre-game walk earlier on Thursday.
And in front of more than 80,000 in Sydney for the Matildas opening match in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Kerr’s absence was certainly felt in the first half, with the team dominating on the field but falling short of hitting the goal.
Nil all at halftime, Steph Catley scored in the 52nd minute to get the Matildas ahead, a position they maintained to take the critical three points from the win.
The goal came via a penalty, a duty that would typically fall on Kerr, but one she was prepared for as coach Tony Gustavsson had requested that she take penalties “now and then if it comes up,”
“Obviously we didn’t have Sammy in tonight, and I’ve been practising a lot,” Catley said.
Catley also told Optus Sport that the team had been experiencing a lot of adrenaline and a “big lead-up”.
“It was a little bit sloppy and a little bit over-zealous, but in the end we got the results and that’s what you need to do in tournaments like this,” she said.
Kerr made the announcement she would miss the first two games on Instagram, sharing that she suffered a calf injury during training on Wednesday. “I wanted to share this with everyone so there is no distraction from what we came here to achieve,” she wrote.
Coach Gustavsson said following the victory last night that “Of course it’s intense but that’s tournament football.” He said he was impressed by the mental toughness of the team, especially following the loss of Kerr and the busy lead-up to the game. “There’s been a lot of challenges thrown at this team in the last 24 hours,” he said.
He added that every team would put in a fight — pointing to the tournament’s opening game in Auckland, where New Zealand achieved a surprise victory over Norway. New Zealand’s victory came via a 48th minute goal from Hannah Wilkinson, and a final 1-0 victory at Eden park. It was the first-ever World Cup win for the Football Ferns.