Matildas crave Swede treat to end World Cup run on a high

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The utility of the World Cup’s penultimate match has long been a source of contention. What worth should be placed on a play-off for third place when the ultimate prize is already lost?

But the Matildas know well what it feels like to lose one – albeit at an Olympics – and are committed to ending their remarkable campaign on a high, in front of a nation whose hearts and minds they have already won.

Australia’s 3-1 semi-final defeat to England means they will play Sweden to determine who will finish third in the 2023 tournament and who’ll be fourth.

And as the team travelled back to Brisbane on Thursday to prepare for Saturday’s swansong at Suncorp Stadium, Caitlin Foord could not fathom reliving the moment the Matildas lost their Tokyo 2020 bronze medal match to the United States.

“It’s extremely important,” Foord said. “The first thing that comes into my mind is the Olympics, when we fell short and then battled for the bronze medal match.

“Nothing hurt more than losing that game, so we have that in the back of our minds going into this game. We deserve to go home with something from this tournament.”

Caitlin Foord arrives in Brisbane on Thursday with the Matildas squad to prepare for Saturday’s third-place play-off.Credit: Getty

That 4-3 loss to the US two years ago is a reference point for more than one reason. Tony Gustavsson’s side were only relegated to that tie because they had lost their semi-final to Sweden three days earlier, in 90 minutes characterised by almost finishes for Australia and one unfortunate deflection that allowed Fridolina Rolfo to score the only goal.

Since then, Australia have soundly beaten world No.3 Sweden – 4-0 friendly last November – to kick-start the diverting run they have enjoyed since.

For the Matildas, there is also an element of pride at a home tournament, having progressed further than many believed possible and still in disbelief they could not match Sarina Wiegman’s relentless England outfit at Stadium Australia – despite Sam Kerr’s superb solo goal.

“We had left everything out there, gave it our all,” Foord said.

“And to be so close to playing for the World Cup is incredible. The scoreline didn’t reflect how the game went, but when you give it everything and you’re going for a goal, that happens sometimes and you concede. If we put our chances away it’s a totally different game.

“It’s disappointing, but we’ve had time to reflect on it and we still have a game to go. We don’t want to leave this tournament empty-handed. We’ll leave it all out there [on] Saturday and hopefully end on a high.”

How Gustavsson approaches Saturday will partly depend on the fatigue levels among his regular starters. Many of Australia’s core group have played most – if not all – of the six games this past four weeks and were visibly spent against the Lionesses.

Caitlin Foord celebrates against Sweden during a friendly in November.Credit: Getty

The Swede, who will once more coach against his native country, has already mentioned the three-day turnaround. But it’s unclear whether he will finally offer minutes to players who have spent most or all of the tournament on the bench, as he seeks to harness momentum two months out from the Paris 2024 qualifiers.

“Right now it’s just about recovery,” said Foord. “We’ve just got to get in the best shape we can to go into that game. The moment we step out there it is the last one, [so] no matter if you’re tired and feel a little fatigued, that will all go away once we’re out there.”

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