'Whole nation' watches as Australia face France in World Cup clash
World Cup semi-finals for the first time when they face France on Saturday, with European champions England or Colombia awaiting them. The Matildas play France in front of a sell-out Brisbane crowd of more than 50,000 at 0700 GMT, with all eyes on whether skipper Sam Kerr will be in the starting line-up. Australia's talismanic striker came off the bench for her first minutes of the tournament in the last-16 victory over Denmark and could be in line to start in the quarter-final.
The 29-year-old Chelsea ace, who was supposed to have been the face of the World Cup, suffered a calf injury on the eve of the competition. Coach Tony Gustavsson was unequivocal Friday when asked by reporters if bringing in Kerr would disrupt a team which recovered from losing 3-2 to Nigeria in the group phase to beat Canada 4-0 before sweeping past Denmark 2-0. «I want to be very clear with you all now,» the Swede said.
«If Sam is fit to play 90 minutes, she is starting, it is not even a question, and the team knows that.» There is a growing sense of optimism and expectation in Australia that their team could go all the way. The 2011 champions Japan were defeated 2-1 by Sweden on Friday, meaning that there will be a new name on the World Cup trophy this year. Outgoing holders the United States and former champions Norway and Germany are all already out.
«The whole of Australia will be watching the Matildas and cheering them on,» Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday. France coach Herve Renard is confident that playing against «an entire nation» will bring out the best in his team. «We love that.
This is why we do this job. It is the beauty of football,» Renard said. «We know we are not just playing against one team but against an
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