It took the longest and the most dramatic penalty shootout in the history of the FIFA World Cup, men's or women's. A total of 20 kicks commenced in front of a crowd of 49,461 at Lang Park in Brisbane, Australia.
But co-hosts Australia ended up as the victors, winning 7-6 in the penalty shootout to advance to the semifinals for the first time in their country's history after a scoreless draw through 120 minutes of action against France in the quarterfinals.
Though Mackenzie Arnold missed the potential game-clinching kick in the 5th round, as her shot hit the right post, she made three saves in the shootout, and Cortnee Vine fired her ball at the bottom right corner after French teenager Vicki Bècho hit the left post.
The penalty shootout lasted 17 minutes, and it's not often that it goes for that long. Though Australia captain Sam Kerr said that the game could be settled without such a shootout.
"They're a roller coaster, honestly, up and down," she told the media after the win, in a mixed tone. "But pens is just, I hate pens, I wish there was [a] golden goal or something because I think it's such a bad way for anyone to lose. And obviously we've been on the winning side tonight but it's just a roller coaster and that's just what pens are."
Kerr and the Matildas were on the losing end of the penalty shootout in the first round of the 2019 World Cup, when they fell 4-1 to Norway at the Allianz Riviera in Nice, France.
There were the dark memories about that shootout on the thousands of Matildas fans in attendance after 120 minutes of no goals. But they all pulled through in the end.
Les Bleues thought they broke the scoreless tie at the 100th minute on an inadvertent own goal by Alanna Kennedy after a corner kick, but a foul on French captain Wendie Renard nullified the penalty, much to the relief of the thousands of Matildas supporters.
Mary Fowler had several great chances throughout the match, with her best one coming at the 41st minute on a miscommunication by France with goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin way out of her net, and Fowler, off the centering feed from Emily van Egmond, had an open look at the net, only to have the shot blocked by a rushing Élisa De Almeida off her right thigh.
De Almeida played perhaps her best defensive game in this match throughout the tournament, though Steph Catley equaled that defensive presence on the other end after Arnold's save on Bècho left a wide open rebound to be picked up, and Catley cleared it out of the box.
Australia gained all the attacking momentum at the tail end of the first half, and Fowler had another great opportunity to get the Matildas on the board with Katrina Gorry finding her on a fast break, though Peyraud-Magnin rushed to the loose ball and stopped the shot before it rolled to the net.
Her third great chance came in the 50th minute when Peyraud-Magnin gave the ball right to her outside of the box, though it was all for naught as Fowler missed the mark by just a bit after faking out a defender.
Kerr, who entered the game 10 minutes into the second half, sending Brisbane into a frenzy, set up Hayley Raso at the 56th minute on a scoring opportunity with a cross pass that took a while for Raso to settle down, though Peyraud-Magnin made a nice jumping save to keep the game scoreless.
Four minutes after that, it was Fowler on her fourth great chance after a cross from Ellie Carpenter that was tipped in the air landed on her foot, and once again it was Peyraud-Magnin who stood tall.
France dominated possession for the majority of the match, and they had the best chances early in the game. They barely missed a corner that could have sailed to the net at the 12th minute with Maëlle Lakrar tipping a ball from Eugénie Le Sommer that went above the crossbar off a set piece.
Kadidiatou Diani also nearly gave France the early mead four minutes before that, winning a contested ball against Kennedy, though the shot missed wide to the left.
Arnold made some key stops for Australia, one coming at the 32nd minute with Lakrar receiving the ball on a keep-in after Arnold tried to clear it, and after Kenza Dali's shot from the top line of the box was blocked, Lakrar fired one that was tipped off the left hand of the Matildas' goalkeeper and out.
Another one of her key stops came at the second minute of the second extra time half after a blocked shot on Diani. The ball traveled right to the foot of Bècho, where Arnold sprung right to stop the ball off her left hand.
Those saves were just a taste of what was to come of her penalty shootout heroics, in which she stopped Dali twice after the first save was washed out as she got both feet past the goal line before the shot was taken.
Both of these two teams matched up against each other very well, whether it be how their formations are nearly identical, or their styles of play. Many would say it would be either a free-flowing game or a match where both teams cancel each other out.
It was more of both.
While it was a heartbreaking loss for Les Bleues, and while there were moments where they lost their rhythm and momentum when under heavy duress by Australia, they continued fighting hard throughout the match and never gave up.
"I have never lost a game I thought for so long I was going to win," said Le Sommer post-match.
France can build off this match to look at things that should be improved on. That starts with their depth. There weren't a lot of options that head coach Hervé Renard could use, but that will change with the return of injured players Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Delphine Cascarino, and Amandine Henry.
Renard was concerned about the mental aspect of the match, where it looked like some of his girls felt the pressure at this stage and didn't deliver their highest effort. Two of the younger players, Bècho and Selma Bacha, can take this as a learning experience in maturing that will help in situations like these.
The Summer Olympics will be hosted in Paris less than a year from now, so there is a lot to look forward to for Renard, who has been in charge of the team since March. From a divided locker room that led to the firing of former head coach Corinne Diacre to where they are, France has come a long way.
Meanwhile, Australia is two wins away from becoming the first host country to win the FIFA Women's World Cup since the United States in 1999.
The Matildas have spent decades on the edge of the sport that has been pushed to the extremes of Australians, but now they have captured the hearts of the entire nation through all the trials and tribulations.
And Arnold, especially, has had a journey where she believed in herself. From a third string goalkeeper to the Matildas' starting netminder, she continued to be a calm presence as their last line of defense.
While Kerr played a total of 10 minutes before the match, and that it felt very strange that she was coming off the bench in the two games she played, the Matildas proved they can win without her, which makes being able to use her off the bench more vital.
They have shown throughout the tournament that the emotions and pressure, whether it be from personal experiences or from playing in front of their home crowd, have driven them to where they are now. Self-belief, improvement, and growth have been shown from them throughout this year's World Cup.
They wanted to get things done, and they have so far done that in the Tony Gustavsson era. Appearing in the semifinals for the first time, they look to take down England in reaching the Finals in Stadium Australia in Sydney, where the Finals and their semifinal match will take place.
Both teams will kick off at 6:00 AM EDT on August 16th. The game will be televised on FOX in the USA, TSN in Canada, and Televisa in México. Telemundo has the Spanish-speaking broadcast in the USA.
Scoring
None
Penalty Shootout: First Five Kicks
Round | Team | Shooter | Goal? | Description | Score |
1 | France | Selma Bacha | No | Left footed shot saved in bottom left corner | 0-0 Tie |
1 | Australia | Caitlin Foord | Yes | Right footed shot to bottom left corner | 1-0 Australia |
2 | France | Kadidiatou Diani | Yes | Right footed shot to bottom left corner | 1-1 Tie |
2 | Australia | Steph Catley | No | Left footed shot saved in bottom left corner | 1-1 Tie |
3 | France | Wendie Renard | Yes | Right footed shot to bottom left corner | 2-1 France |
3 | Australia | Sam Kerr | Yes | Right footed shot to center of the goal | 2-2 Tie |
4 | France | Eugénie Le Sommer | Yes | Right footed shot to bottom right corner | 3-2 France |
4 | Australia | Mary Fowler | Yes | Right footed shot to bottom left corner | 3-3 Tie |
5 | France | Ève Périsset | No | Right footed shot saved in bottom left corner | 3-3 Tie |
5 | Australia | Mackenzie Arnold | No | Hits right post with right footed shot | 3-3 Tie |
Penalty Shootout: Sudden Death
Round | Team | Shooter | Goal? | Description | Score |
6 | France | Grace Geyoro | Yes | Right footed shot to bottom left corner, off right hand of Mackenzie Arnold and crosses goal line | 4-3 France |
6 | Australia | Katrina Gorry | Yes | Right footed shot to bottom left corner, off hands of Solène Durand and crosses goal line | 4-4 Tie |
7 | France | Sakina Karchaoui | Yes | Right footed shot to top right corner, off crossbar and crosses goal line | 5-4 France |
7 | Australia | Tameka Yallop | Yes | Right footed shot to bottom right corner | 5-5 Tie |
8 | France | Maëlle Lakrar | Yes | Right footed shot to center of the goal | 6-5 France |
8 | Australia | Ellie Carpenter | Yes | Right footed shot to bottom left corner, hits left post and crosses goal line | 6-6 Tie |
9 | France | Kenza Dali | N/A | Retry kick, Mackenzie Arnold took two steps outside of goal line before shot | 6-6 Tie |
9 | France | Kenza Dali | No | Right footed shot saved at center of the goal | 6-6 Tie |
9 | Australia | Clare Hunt | No | Right footed shot saved at top center of the goal | 6-6 Tie |
10 | France | Vicki Bècho | No | Hits left post with right footed shot | 6-6 Tie |
10 | Australia | Cortnee Vine | Yes | Right footed shot to bottom right corner | 7-6 Australia |
Substitutions
Australia, 55': Sam Kerr replaces Emily van Egmond.
France, 64': Vicki Bècho replaces Sandie Toletti.
Australia, 104': Cortnee Vine replaces Hayley Raso.
Australia, 116': Tameka Yallop replaces Kyra Cooney-Cross.
France, 120'+3': Solène Durand replaces Pauline Peyraud-Magnin.
France, 120'+3': Ève Périsset replaces Élisa De Almeida.
Disciplinary
Australia, 92': Katrina Gorry is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Team Stats
Possession: Even
Shots: Australia 15, France 20
On Target: Australia 4, France 5
Fouls: Australia 10, France 12
Yellow Cards: Australia 1, France 0
Red Cards: Australia 0, France 0
Offsides: Australia 1, France 2
Corner Kicks: Australia 8, France 12
Saves: Australia 5, France 3
Miscellaneous
Venue: Lang Park (Brisbane Stadium/Suncorp Stadium)
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Attendance: 49,461 (Capacity: 52,500)
Referee: María Carvajal (Chile)
Comments