SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 07: Hayley Raso of Australia celebrates with teammates after scoring her ... [+]
Australia head coach Tony Gustavsson was impressed with the maturity his players showed in Monday’s 2-0 win against Denmark, which sealed their berth in the quarter-finals of the Women’s World Cup.
Goals from Caitlin Foord and Hayley Roso helped seal the victory in front of a crowd of 75,784 at Stadium Australia in Sydney, while the Matildas were also boosted by the return of captain and striker Sam Kerr following a calf injury.
The victory meant Australia will face either France or Morocco for a place in the semi-finals, which they have never reached.
“First of all, I am very proud of the players’ maturity,” coach Gustavsson told reporters after the game. “Denmark came out and surprised us. 4-4-2, high press, did not shy away from the occasion. We knew that (Pernile) Harder was going to be hard to deal with in the space between the midfield and the back line and I think we struggled the first 15 minutes.
“But in tournament football, I’ve said it before, you need to play the game right in front of you and find ways to win. The maturity the players showed tonight, I’m very, very proud of.
“We found our way in the first half, where we did some tactical adjustments and then a collective effort to keep a clean sheet together with some individual brilliance on the break, like with Caitlin Foord, was enough to get away with the win.”
Australia's coach Tony Gustavsson celebrates at the end of the Australia and New Zealand 2023 ... [+]
Gustavsson said the team needs to improve its positioning and defending shape, as well as “reading the pressing trigger better”.
“We didn’t generate as much press today as we normally do. We need to look into that,” he added.
“We did fix it during the game and it got much better, especially in the second half. But in terms of a 90-minute performance in a quarter-final, no matter who we play, we need to look into that and get back to where we were defending against France and England or Sweden and so forth.”
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 07: Sam Kerr of Australia celebrates winning the Women's World Cup round ... [+]
Emily van Egmond, who set up Raso’s second-half goal with a neat lay-off, said Kerr’s return has made the Matildas attack dangerous once again.
“To add the best striker in the world to the arsenal we have is quite scary,” she told FIFA. “We’re so happy to have her back. She’s our leader and is massive for this team.”
Mary Fowler also heaped praise on Kerr, who came on as an 80th-minute substitute.
“It’s amazing to see Sam back out there. You could hear the crowd going crazy when she was warming up! She means so much to this team and this country,” Fowler said.