Key Points
- Australia and Sweden were playing for third place in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
- The Matildas were defeated 2-0 by Sweden.
- England and Spain will play in the final on Sunday at 8pm AEST.
Australia's Women's World Cup campaign has ended with a whimper as the Matildas slumped to a 2-0 loss to Sweden in the third-place play-off.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hugs Sam Kerr after the match between Australia and Sweden in Brisbane on Saturday, 19 August 2023. Source: AAP / Jono Searle
Kosovare Asllani added a long-range goal in the 60th minute and Australia's largely blunted attack was unable to mount a comeback.
Sweden's team celebrates after scoring their second goal during the third-place playoff with Australia in Brisbane. Source: AAP / Sports Press Photo/Sipa USA
Kerr went down screaming in pain holding her right calf - the opposite leg to her previous injury - after a challenge from Magdalena Eriksson in the 75th minute and required treatment before returning to the fray.
Sam Kerr suffered an injury during the game. Source: AAP / Jono Searle
Coach Tony Gustavsson showed faith in his depth throughout Australia's campaign and named an unchanged starting line-up, despite a three-day turnaround, from the 3-1 semi-final loss to England.
Kerr, who scored a wonder goal in the 3-1 semi-final loss to England on Wednesday, was attempting to lead Australia to a bronze medal at Brisbane Stadium.
After four weeks of , the Matildas were playing their final match of the tournament against Sweden.
No changes to the line-up
On Saturday afternoon, the starting line-up was revealed.
Gustavsson who had rarely turned to his bench throughout Australia's campaign again opted not to rest any of his regular starters, despite a three-day turnaround from the semi-final.
Kerr was leading the line alongside Mary Fowler, with Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso on the wings.
Defender Alanna Kennedy was unavailable due to concussion symptoms, so Clare Polkinghorne again deputised as Clare Hunt's centre-back partner.
The starting 11 also included Mackenzie Arnold, Steph Catley, Katrina Gorry, Ellie Carpenter, and Kyra Cooney-Cross.
Sweden also named an unchanged line-up from the team that lost 2-1 to Spain in the other semi-final.
Why was the third-place match important?
The value of the penultimate game is often debated but the Matildas players, and their coach, made it clear they were set on victory ahead of the match.
Kerr said coming third at a World Cup would be a dream come true.
"We wanted to leave a legacy and have this moment for 10 or 20 years. I think we have already done that but to win a bronze medal and bring a World Cup medal to this country would be amazing," she said.
"It really feels like we have brought the nation together over football. Some people might have said we were crazy if we had said this was going to happen a year ago."
On Thursday, winger Caitlin Foord said the team was determined not to leave their home tournament empty-handed after
"We had left everything out there, gave it our all and to be so close to playing for the World Cup, it's incredible and I guess it's just disappointing," she said.
"But we've had time to reflect on it and we still have a game to go and we don't want to leave this tournament empty-handed and we think we deserve to go home with something after the tournament we've had.
"So we'll leave it all out there Saturday and hopefully end on a high."
The Matildas' history-making tournament
Throughout the tournament, the Matildas with their personalities, performances and team unity.
Fans filled sold-out stadiums, merchandise sold in record numbers online, and millions of people around the country became dedicated fans of the sport and the team almost overnight.
This year, the Matildas made history as the first Australian team - men or women - to qualify for a FIFA World Cup semi-final.
They have also broken records for viewership including reaching a record TV audience of 11.15 million people for their semi-final clash, with an average figure of 7.13 million.
They sparked calls for more investment into women's sport, and on Saturday,
There will also be reforms to ensure more Australians are able to access women’s sporting events on free-to-air television.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the investment into women’s sport was overdue.
"The Matildas have given us a moment of national inspiration, this is about seizing that opportunity for the next generation, investing in community sporting facilities for women and girls around Australia,” he said.
Ahead of the play-off, Gustavsson said he was expecting a tough and physical battle between the two teams.
"These players don't shy away from a tackle and neither do Sweden," he said.
"It's going to be a physical battle out there for sure."
It marks his fifth time coaching against his country of birth.
- With AAP
