By Ian Ransom
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – When Australia gave a warm welcome to all nations in the leadup to the Women’s World Cup, the co-hosts may never have imagined the guests kicking them out of their own party before it truly gets going.
Yet that is the scenario the Matildas face after Thursday’s disastrous 3-2 loss to low-ranked Nigeria which has left them on the brink of an humiliating group stage exit.
Tony Gustavsson’s side have long spoken of themselves as genuine contenders, ready to ride a wave of home support deep into the tournament and leave a legacy to inspire generations of women footballers.
Instead, their campaign will be over in two days if they fail against Canada in their final group match on Monday.
Australia can still pull themselves out of the fire with a victory over the Olympic champions and laugh about all the drama later.
If winless and eliminated Ireland beat Nigeria in the other Group B clash, the co-hosts could even sneak through to the knockout phase by holding the Canadians to a draw.
But with captain Sam Kerr and other team mates no certainty to face Canada, optimism was on the wane in the nation’s media on Friday.
“If the Matildas go out … it should not only end Gustavsson’s tenure, but raise questions over the footballing credentials of Football Australia for backing him in this far,” soccer journalist Vince Rugari wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Swede Gustavsson’s 2020 signing as head coach was touted as a coup for the Matildas who have long aspired to be among the heavyweights but never passed the quarter-finals of a World Cup.
A long-term assistant to former United States coach Jill Ellis, Gustavsson was lauded for his work during the Americans’ back-to-back World Cup triumphs in 2015-19.
Turning Australia into world-beaters has proved a far greater challenge.
Working with a small pool of players for a nation with little history of major tournament success, Gustavsson churned through dozens of new players to build depth, enduring some shattering defeats along the way.
He has had some notable wins in developing players for certain positions but a heavy reliance on Kerr to score remains.
It loomed large against Nigeria as Gustavsson opted to throw centre back Alanna Kennedy forward late in the game rather than trust the attackers on his bench to create goals.
With Kerr sidelined and Mary Fowler concussed, Gustavsson’s gamble on including forward Kyah Simon in his World Cup squad instead of a fully fit player has backfired.
Coming back from a long-term knee injury, Simon has been unable to take the field and may never have the chance to be the “game-changer” Gustavsson predicted she would be.
Secrecy surrounding Kerr’s calf problem has also put pressure on the coach and raised suspicion that the team’s totem and face of the tournament may never play in it.
“You talk to any young fans and all they want to know is, how bad is Sam’s injury and when is she going to play?” said former Australia midfielder Robbie Slater.
“They have a right to know how bad it is.”
After a shock loss to Italy four years ago at the 2019 World Cup in France, Australia fought their way out of a corner to reach the last 16, with Kerr scoring four goals in victory over Jamaica to see them through.
The Matildas insist they can battle through, with or without Kerr.
“You look at all World Cups in history, male and female, and teams face adversity, and bounce back,” said midfielder Alex Chidiac. “I think we’re a team that thrives off of that.”
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Nick Macfie)
