Culture

The Matildas Are Absolutely Smashing It Right Now And It’s Time To Get On Board

Believe the hype.

by Tom Clift  20 September 2017

Want more Junkee in your life? Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook so you always know where to find us.

If you’re not already, now might be a really good time to get on board with the Matildas.

Last night, the Australian women’s national soccer team claimed their third straight victory against Brazil, with a thrilling 3-2 win in front of 16,829 people at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle.

The game didn’t start great for Australia, with Brazil scoring their first goal in the opening minute of the match. But ultimately the home side proved too strong. The star of the game was gun striker Sam Kerr, who is (rightly) being touted as one of the best players in the world right now.

If nothing else, she definitely has one of the best celebrations.

In addition to nailing the three-peat against one of the world’s powerhouse footballing nations, the result makes it five straight wins for the Matildas, equal with their longest ever winning streak. They’re actually undefeated in regular time in their past eight games, with their only loss coming via a penalty shootout against Denmark during the Algarve Cup back in March.

As impressive as the efforts of the team have been, what’s equally exciting is how much the country is getting behind them. The win in Newcastle came in front of a record-breaking home crowd — and on a weeknight, no less. This comes after a sold-out crowd of more than 15,000 fans attended their previous match against Brazil in Penrith last Saturday.

Given how much competition soccer faces from other footballing codes like AFL and rugby, the success of the Matildas is massive for the game in Australia.

This is especially true given the less-than-stellar form of the Australian men’s team of late. According to the current FIFA rankings, the Socceroos are ranked 50th in the world. The Matildas currently sit sixth.

As Tracey Holmes wrote for the ABC this morning, the Matildas’ form is also helping to change the way that women’s sport is perceived in Australia.

“The Matildas are not being spoken about as our best ‘women’s’ team,” writes Holmes. “They are being described as Australia’s best team. Full stop.”

In other words, it might be time to pick up some green and gold merchandise.

–

Image via Westfield Matildas/Facebook