The Matildas have shown their 'never say die' spirit in their comeback victory against Zambia, but they may have used up all their miracles right when they need them most.
The dressing-room underneath the Stade de Nice was a cacophony of sound and movement as Steph Catley sat down on a chair, squeezed a stream of water into her mouth, and took a deep breath.
This was her first major tournament leading the Matildas, and they were staring down the barrel of what could have been their earliest Olympic exit in more than two decades. But even a true believer like Catley must have thought the Matildas would require a miracle to escape this catapulting, nonsensical match.And who could have blamed her for a potential lapse of faith after she watched the ball sail into Australia's net just 40 seconds into the game, curled beautifully off the boot of Zambia's star striker Barbra Banda?
And they did. For about 15 minutes. But the luck that football almost always needs had already begun to desert them. How must Catley have felt when, just as the assistant referee held up their board signalling 4 minutes of added time, a series of unfortunate events off a corner saw the ball clang off Banda's leg and spin agonisingly around a scrambling Arnold and into the bottom corner to give Zambia a 4-2 lead?And so she sat in the dressing room, breathing deeply, listening to the voices ricocheting off the walls around her and made a decision.
But not before Zambia truly tested Australians' faith, scoring their fifth goal in the 54th minute after a curling Banda free kick found the white-blonde head of Kundananji, the only green shirt charging through a wall of solid yellow. The Matildas' luck returned in ever-increasing waves. A late VAR check on an accidental stamp on Caitlin Foord's foot awarded Australia a penalty, which Catley coolly swiped into the net to bring the scores level.
Kennedy bundled Banda over from behind just outside her own penalty area, earning a yellow card and inviting another set-piece goal, only for Arnold to smack the ball out of the air. "When you coach a group of players like this, you never stop believing ever," Gustavsson said afterwards. The full-time whistle was a kind of catharsis, releasing the Matildas from the grip of a potential disaster. They escaped, somehow, in the ways that they have done before, with magic and miracles operating somewhere underneath burning muscles and sweat-soaked shirts.
Paris Olympics Zambia Olympic Games Michelle Heyman Group Game Barbra Banda Tony Gustavsson Escape Comeback Steph Catley
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