The Grim Reaper has come for a few World Cup favourites – not the Matildas
By Emma Kemp
Australia 2-0 Denmark
The Grim Reaper has walked the earth this past week, a berobed skeleton on the move in Australia, collecting the souls of tournament favourites before they were ready.
She (Death is a woman - this is a Women’s World Cup) has spent a lot of time in Melbourne, stopping for a coffee en route to AAMI Park and then, perked up by caffeine, sharpening her scythe and gliding ominously up the tunnel.
Mission accomplished: Australia advance to the quarter-finals of their home World Cup.Credit: Edwina Pickles
Seagulls circled for blood as the cloaked figure retired the greatest international goalscorer in history in Christine Sinclair. Then demi-god Marta, and after that Megan Rapinoe.
The 2019 golden boot and golden ball winner thought her back-to-back champions’ first-ever exit before the semi-finals was “like a sick joke”. She should have known that time devours all things.
Not the Matildas. Not yet.
Canada, Germany, Brazil and the United States may be gone, and England may have been taken to penalties. But Australia do not need a “PK shootout”, as Tony Gustavsson calls the dreaded spot-kick lottery. They do not even need extra-time. They have a toolbox of death-defying tricks.
The Reaper was present at Stadium Australia. On Monday night she was a blonde robed in red, a Danish No.10 with a scythe that sliced through Australia’s defence so often in the opening 20 minutes she alone appeared the driving force in the green and gold’s demise.
The Matildas knew Pernille Harder was coming for them. She has spent the past three years taking souls with Sam Kerr for Women’s Super League champions Chelsea. And she will take many more for her new club, Bayern Munich.
On this evening, she was everywhere but also seemingly nowhere for the opponents trying to mark her. Sneaking between the lines with barely a whisper, invisible until she was in the box and the Matildas in danger.
Each and every time Harder became the focal point of Denmark’s attack, the co-hosts knew they must defeat Death.
Ellie Carpenter knew it when she tracked back like lightning to chase her down Australia’s right flank and smash the ball out for a corner in the nick of time. Katrina Gorry knew it when she hunted down a running Harder.
Even then, Denmark might have scored an opener with just nine minutes gone had Rikke Madsen not marginally missed a cross into the box.
It was a drinks break while a felled Steph Catley was being attended to that settled everything down and recalibrated the Matildas into one body which forced Harder to the periphery. They closed down passing lanes and opened up their own.
Matildas fans at Melbourne’s Federation Square celebrate the win over Denmark.Credit: Chris Hopkins
It was one of those that generated the first goal. That Mary Fowler ball will be remembered for some time to come – poetry personified into a small round thing floating, floating towards Foord’s run, inviting her to take the touch that sets her up for the finish.
Death was silenced then. And anyway, even if she did make a sound, you had no chance of hearing her over the noise.
The deafening roar of 75,784 when Foord scored and held her hand to her ear, and again when Hayley Raso made it 2-0.
The spine-tingling standing ovation when Kerr was introduced for her first minutes of the tournament. And again when the captain and both calves almost scored, and came again and again and did not let up. She may yet take a few souls this World Cup.
Whenever Australia touched the ball, the spectators cheered. They pretty diligently booed whenever Denmark had a decent crack. The Grim Reaper got booed tonight, and it sure gave her a fright.
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