England’s head ruled over Australia’s heart in FIFA Women’s World Cup

Aug 17, 2023, 07:30 PM ET

SYDNEY — It’s not often someone can say they struck the blow that felled an entire nation, but Alessia Russo won’t be stretching the boundaries of credibility too much if she claims to have done so when she recounts England’s 3-1 Women’s World Cup semifinal win over Australia.

Sprung into the penalty area by a masterfully weighted, no-look ball from Lauren Hemp with the game still in doubt at 2-1 in the 86th minute, a foreboding lull fell over Stadium Australia as Russo found space off the shoulder of Arsenal teammate Steph Catley and began to twist her body in a manner that would see her launch her decisive attempt. It was a sudden realisation that something pivotal was about to occur, that destiny was arriving.

The nearly 80,000-strong crowd had collectively fallen into some kind of awful time vortex — or glorious if you were one of the few England fans in attendance — where milliseconds stretched to what felt like minutes-worth of opportunities to reflect on what had led to this moment, and was about to happen. Arms began to raise of their own volition, either into the air in preparation of the coming ecstasy or bringing hands to foreheads in anticipation of looming agony.

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Finally, after what felt like an age but was just a matter of moments, the ball reached a point in which Russo — the 24-year-old the type of attacker who seemingly possesses a switch to slow time at her own volition — deemed it worthy of being met with a first-time effort, coolly shooting beyond Matildas keeper Mackenzie Arnold into the bottom corner.

And suddenly, the spell was broken. Time raced forward to its normal progression as suspense gave way to realisation, and stillness was replaced by an explosion of limbs.

As Russo wheeled away to celebrate with a gathering throng of teammates sprinting from the Lionesses’ bench, it was almost as if the air was being let out of a balloon. This was it. The dawning realisation there was to be no improbable comeback from the Matildas, or last-gasp miracle, blanketed the area like a noxious cloud, only the small pockets of England fans scattered through the stadium finding themselves immune to its suffocating effects.

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Russo’s was a strike that not only served to send England to their first Women’s World Cup final but also pierced the heart of a newly spellbound nation. The pain felt by the players was mirrored in lounge rooms, live sites, pubs, clubs, and more across the nation. At some point, 11.5 million Australians — 42% of the population — were reported to have tuned in to watch the free-to-air coverage of the semifinal, with the broadcast averaging a viewership of 7.13 million. When the Matildas shed tears at full-time, a nation that has likely been forever altered by their exploits wept with them.

It’s the brutal nature of football and elite sport. Russo’s strike represented possibly the best moment of her career, and one of the most important goals in England’s history. It was a triumph not just of her own, but the journey of every known and unknown figure who has helped to drive women’s football in England from the shadow of FA bans to the deserved spotlight of a World Cup final.

But it also ended a magical period in Australian football that, in all likelihood, may not be repeated. Given the current age profile of the team, 2023 also likely represented the final chance of so many in the team to lift a World Cup trophy, as well as being probably the best chance an Australian side will ever have.

“Everyone’s gonna be hurting; I think the veterans probably more — we don’t really have another World Cup in us,” Katrina Gorry said after the loss. “So it’s a tough one to swallow at the moment.”

Minutes before the winner, Sam Kerr had blasted a volley wide when Mary Earps’ attempt to punch a corner had gone only as far as the Australian skipper. It was the type of chance she’d expect to bury without a second thought, calling upon the unflinching and unfeeling mercilessness of a pure striker running on instinct. She had scored one of the greatest World Cup goals of all-time just over 20 minutes before that, an effort the degree of difficulty of which sat somewhere between exigent and outright supernatural, so this should have been simple in comparison. But football doesn’t always work like that and, frequently, neither does Kerr.

England coach Sarina Wiegman’s tactics and acumen were key to the Lioness’s victory in the FIFA Women’s World Cup semifinal vs. Australia in Sydney. Alex Pantling – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

In her first start of the tournament, her wonder strike had wiped away Ella Toone’s first-half thunderbolt and brought the game to parity. The goal seemingly set the stage for the Matildas to run over the top of their rivals and into the final themselves. That was for all of eight minutes until Hemp capitalised on a calamitous failure by Ellie Carpenter to clear a long, high-ball, monstering her out of the road before poking home to make it 2-1.

If the noise that later greeted Russo’s goal was like the air being let out of a balloon, the sound greeting Hemp’s strike sounded more like a strangled moan of despair, stealing the joy that had been permeating the ground and leaving a void in its place. After the emotional highs that greeted Kerr’s strike, after all the noise the supporters had made in response to create a hurricane in the Matildas’ sails, England had absorbed the punch and found a way to respond in kind.

And ultimately, that is revealing. Because really, while it was Russo who delivered the killing blow, the ultimate architect of the Matildas’ World Cup demise cannot be said to be anyone other than England coach Sarina Wiegman.

The best coach in the world right now, the Dutchwoman had her path to a fourth straight major final planned out long before kick-off at Stadium Australia. When Australia wanted to move at speed, she had her side get bodies into the Matildas to break up the play and force them to attack on the Lionesses’ terms. When relentless pressure was called for, it was delivered in spades, leading to Hemp’s critical goal. When Australia were chasing the game, England reorganised to absorb the pressure and look to get in behind.

Wiegman, in fact, has had a plan all tournament: Adapting to the loss of key players before and during the competition, shifting the side’s personnel and formation to maximise the team’s collective ability, and instilling in them a pragmatic, winning mentality. While the stands around them exploded to life following Kerr’s goal — a strike that would have sucked the life out of many a team — Wiegman’s Lionesses remained composed, absorbed the electric momentum the Matildas had gathered, and then dashed it to the winds. This team not only plays winning football but backs it with a champion’s approach.

Sarina Wiegman and Sam Kerr talk after the FIFA Women’s World Cup semifinal at Stadium Australia. The Matildas and their fans might wonder if they would have reached the final vs. Spain had they had Wiegman at the helm. Alex Pantling – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

And that, perhaps, is where the difference lies between England, imposing themselves to reach a World Cup final, and Australia, who were attempting to get there by riding a wave of emotion, vibes, and speed.

For all the credit that Australia’s coach, Tony Gustavsson, legitimately deserves for adjusting his plans to account for the loss of Kerr, his side still largely has only one consistent move to create clear looks on goal — transition — and still does not possess a discernible Plan B beyond long balls when capitalising on transition doesn’t work. His lack of in-game substitutions — particularly after his constant references to “23 in 23” pre-tournament — felt egregious during the Nigeria and Canada games, and once again raised its head in the semifinal given all his starters appeared out on their feet come the end of the game. So does his selection of Kyah Simon in the 23-player squad; she was backed to serve as a “game changer” as she recovered from an ACL injury only to never see the field despite the void left up front by Kerr’s injury.

With a chunk of this Matildas’ Golden Generation now having made its last proper bow on the biggest stage, the question “did he get the most out of them” will become important. Did this team perform as well as they could have in reaching a semifinal? Or just as well as they could have under Gustavsson? Could another manager have done more? After upgrading from Phil Neville to Wiegman, England are demonstrating what a good coach can bring to a team, after all.

When the reviews begin — the official ones conducted by Football Australia and the unofficial ones in the hearts and heads of those caught up in this journey — they will be the questions; every moment pored over in minute detail, examined at the pace that Russo’s history-maker developed.