Sam Kerr's hands were on her knees. At the other end of the pitch she had just witnessed Alessia Russo score England's third goal to end Australia's dream of winning the Women's World Cup. The feeling of responsibility was obvious. Just 72 seconds earlier, she had missed a chance from close range that would have levelled the match.
For Kerr, it looked like torture. The worst thing that could happen to a striker, a captain, the leader of a footballing nation. The kind of pain that never leaves. The story written entirely the wrong way.
And then her head dropped.
But around the country, the eyes of millions of Australian football fans old and many more new went nowhere. They understood Kerr's suffering but, after the ride the Matildas had taken them on over the past month, they knew she owed them nothing more.
Australia's new favourite team delivered an occasion oozing quality, tactical tension and the kind of fightback that keeps mythology in business. After beating the best the world could throw at them in the tournament so far, they ended up facing an opposition they knew better than any other. The European champions, to boot. And for eight minutes in the second half it looked like the Matildas were going to win.
Esta historia es de la edición August 17, 2023 de The Guardian.
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