BRISBANE, Australia — The biggest decision Tony Gustavsson had to make during Australia‘s dramatic quarterfinal victory over France was when to bring Sam Kerr off the bench.
Kerr, the 29-year-old captain, did not start the Matildas’ fifth World Cup match against Les Bleues because she is still recovering from a calf injury sustained just before the tournament began. She missed all three of her squad’s group stage matches, and then played only 10 minutes in the victory over Denmark in the round of 16.
In Saturday’s quarterfinal, Kerr came on in the second half and played a total of 65 minutes, which included burying a penalty kick during the uber-emotional shootout to end the game.
This was all part of a master plan, Kerr said afterward.
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“I was ready to go, but we had a plan this whole tournament, and we just had to stick to it,” Kerr said. “On the bench, I was ready to come on. I was just trying to focus on what my role is, what my job is. And it’s hard to come off the bench as a sub. So, I just had to regain that focus that I probably haven’t had the last two weeks because I haven’t been playing as much.”
Australia now advances to its first World Cup semifinal in history and will face England in Sydney on Wednesday (coverage begins at 5a.m. ET, with kickoff at 6 a.m. on FOX and the FOX Sports app). How much Kerr will play and whether she will start will continue to dominate headlines. Especially now as the host country has a chance to make more history by clinching a spot in the World Cup final.
Kerr admitted afterward that the injury has been tough on her emotionally. This is the moment she had been waiting for her entire career. Being the best player in the world for Australia while her home country hosted the World Cup.
Australia advances to semifinals after penalty shootout vs. France
“The first couple days were a bit crap,” Kerr said. “But the girls have been smashing it, and the best thing about this whole tournament is that it has taken a whole team, and it has been an amazing journey to be a part of, and I’m so grateful that I was able to be here and come back.
“I knew I’d come back on the pitch because I would have played with one calf if I had to.”
Could the star striker have played the entire 120 minutes against France?
“I mean, that’s like the million-dollar question, right?” Kerr said, laughing. “When I hurt my calf, the plan was to always be ready for the semifinal and final. So, I could have [played the whole game], but who knows what could have happened. The girls have been smashing it and absolutely dominating. So I think the plan went pretty well.”
Even with Kerr on the bench for the first 55 minutes of play, the game was intense. Both Australia and France had plenty of missed opportunities in front of goal, and it always felt like a major moment was coming.
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Meanwhile, any time an image of Kerr sitting on the bench appeared on the Brisbane Stadium video board, the 49,461 fans roared. When she started warming up on the sideline, they grew louder. And when she took off her substitute bib and made her way to midfield to enter the game, it sounded like the Matildas had just scored a goal.
Kerr made an immediate impact, basically quadrupling the Matildas energy level that was already in full force. In her first few seconds, she streaked down the left wing, sent in a cross to Hayley Raso, whose shot forced French goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin to make a diving save.
Over the next few minutes, Australia had two corner kicks and more scoring chances. The game simply felt different with her on the field.
“When Sam came in, we really had them on the hook,” Gustavsson said.
“I tried to bring energy, and I tried to lift the girls, and I kind of felt that momentum swung a little bit in our way, but you know, that’s what you have to do as a sub,” Kerr added. “That’s your role as a teammate, to come on and change the game and just settle in and do your job. It’s not easy coming on as a sub. I don’t envy people who are super subs. It’s an amazing job that they do. I feel like I tried my best and did what I could for the team.”
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Gustavsson told reporters afterward that figuring out when to bring Kerr on was the most important decision he had to make. The coach was informed by the medical team the night before that Kerr had limited minutes, so if the game went into extra time — which it of course did — they would need to consider that risk.
“That was a massive decision to get that right,” Gustavsson said.
Australia did get it right and now has an even bigger game looming against England. Will Kerr start? That will remain a question up until lineups are released an hour before kickoff Wednesday.
Regardless, the Matildas have to be relieved their superstar has played in these past two games.
“I feel better for it and have all the training under my belt,” Kerr said. “I feel ready to go.”
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter at @LakenLitman.
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