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Australians became the toast of world football on Monday after upsetting powerhouse Brazil to progress to the quarterfinals of the Women's World Cup.
The stunning 1-0 upset against a team which had not conceded a goal in the tournament captured the imagination of the US media, the full attention of a host of compatriots back home.
US MEDIA
Deadspin’s Greg Howard couldn’t hide his amazement at Australia’s victory.
“Holy shit. Holy shit! Brazil are out of the World Cup! Australia are through to the quarterfinals! It wasn’t supposed to go down like this. Brazil finished first in their group, while Australia finished second in the Group of Death,” Howard wrote.
“There have been a lot of upsets this World Cup, but this is the biggest one of the knockout stages, and it’s also the biggest win in Australia’s history. Brazil looked all tournament long to be one of the best sides, but of course, that doesn’t matter now.”
SBNation was so impressed with the Matildas’ performance they proclaimed to their Twitter followers “they should be your new favourite”.
Graham Parker, writing for espnW.com, noted the win would provide the Matildas with the belief they can win the tournament.
“The infamous web report from Australia’s opening group game loss to the US, declaring the Americans to be “not that good,” provided plenty of social media glee for US fans in the immediate aftermath,” Parker wrote.
“But regardless of the merits of the claims about the US, if there’s been a story to Australia’s tournament — and it was a narrative confirmed again Sunday — it was perhaps a corresponding belief from the Matildas that they could be that good.
“For long stretches of Sunday’s game against Brazil, just as had happened in the game against the US, the Australians held their own, soaking up pressure at moments, but often playing coolly through it to cause Brazil defensive problems.”
NBCSport’s Jeff Kassouf highlighted the superb effort of midfielder Caitlin Foord in shutting down Brazilian star Marta.
“Five-time FIFA World Player of the Year Marta was largely kept in check by the Australian defense on Sunday, thanks in large part to speedy 20-year-old defender Caitlin Foord, playing in her second World Cup,” Kassouf wrote.