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Australia now go to Sydney on Wednesday to face England,
after they defeated Colombia 2-1.
Cortnee Vine scored the winning penalty for Australia to end
a remarkable shoot-out that saw both teams take 10 spot-kicks, the
quarter-final having ended 0-0 after 120 nerve-shredding minutes.
Vine held her nerve to send the crowd into raptures and keep
the Matildas’ dream of winning the World Cup on home soil alive.
Australia goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold had missed a chance to
win the shoot-out when her kick hit the post, but then saved twice from Kenza
Dali after the VAR spotted she had both feet off her line the first time.
Vicki Becho missed France’s 10th penalty, and it was left to
Vine to take Australia through by beating France’s substitute goalkeeper Solene
Durand, who had been sent on especially for the shoot-out.
“I’m so freaking proud about this team. The bravery that
they showed tonight, unbelievable,” said Australia coach Tony Gustavsson.
“I think we’ll have maybe tonight to celebrate it and then
tomorrow we’ll review it and move on to the next game,” added Arnold, the
player of the match.
It was an agonising way for France to go out after a tense
encounter watched by a sell-out crowd of 49,461.
Les Bleues had been hoping to get to the semi-finals for
just the second time, following their defeat in the last four in 2011, but
instead go home.
“We had a whole stadium and a nation against us. We produced
an exceptional performance, but that’s football. It was destiny,” French coach
Herve Renard told broadcaster France 2.
“Good luck to Australia. I think we deserved more but that’s
how it is.”
Australia’s victory was achieved despite Sam Kerr again
being left on the bench at kick-off, with the talismanic Matildas captain, now
fit after a calf injury, coming on early in the second half and going on to
convert her penalty in the shoot-out.
Kerr comes off bench
Gustavsson stuck with the same team that started against
Denmark in the last 16, while France brought the fit-again Maelle Lakrar back
into their defence.
Lakrar really should have given France an early lead to
silence the hostile crowd, but the 23-year-old somehow succeeded in diverting
an Eugenie Le Sommer shot over the bar with the goal gaping.
That was a let-off for the hosts, who were then grateful to
Arnold for tipping a Le Sommer effort behind and for stopping a stinging Lakrar
attempt following a corner.
It looked like the occasion was getting to Australia, but
they began to threaten in the final minutes of the first half.
They were desperately unlucky not to go ahead in the 41st
minute when French defensive hesitancy allowed Emily van Egmond to tee up Mary
Fowler for what seemed like a certain goal, but Elisa De Almeida raced in to
produce a miraculous block.
French goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin then had to come
out to clear in front of Fowler, as it somehow remained goalless at the
interval.
Kerr emerged 10 minutes into the second half, replacing Van
Egmond to the delight of the crowd, and her introduction provided such a lift
that Australia very nearly went ahead moments later.
Hayley Raso tried her luck with a rasping drive from outside
the box, but Peyraud-Magnin saved and the Juventus goalkeeper topped that with
a brilliant block to deny Fowler from point-blank range on the hour mark.
That appeared to pierce some of Australia’s momentum, and
the tension increased as the clock ticked down, making extra time almost an
inevitability.
France thought they had the breakthrough 10 minutes into the
extra period when Ellie Carpenter turned the ball into her own net, but
Australia were rescued when the Chilean referee blew for a foul.
Arnold saved superbly from Becho, before France replaced
Peyraud-Magnin with Durand as penalties loomed.
Durand is their penalty-saving specialist and denied both
Steph Catley and Clare Hunt in the shoot-out, but it was not enough for France.
AFP