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For 82 minutes Australia waited. And Waited. And waited.
Matildas boss Tony Gustavsson is under fire from all directions over his tactical moves during Australia’s shambolic 3-2 defeat against Nigeria in Brisbane on Thursday night.
Australia’s World Cup campaign is suddenly on the ropes after an hour of misery in their Group B blockbuster which has left the co-host nation needing to defeat Canada in their final pool stage match to progress through to the knockout stages.
It seemed Australia already had one foot in the round of 16 when Emily van Egmond put Australia up in the 46th minute.
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In front of 49,156 fans at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, the fairytale quickly became a nightmare.
Gustavsson has already told his players to forget the result and to shift their mental energy towards the Canada clash on Monday in Melbourne.
The knockout stage has arrived early for the Matildas.
Nigeria now sits on top of Group B on four points and finish the group stage against winless Ireland. Only a win will be enough for the Matildas to progress — but it is far from doom and gloom — that is unless you ask critics of the manager’s efforts on the sidelines.
Gustavsson only made his first substitution in the 82nd minute — at a time when the Matildas already trailed 3-1 and Nigeria had used up four substitutions.
The coach was forced to answer difficult questions about his decisions in interviews after the game.
Aussie football legend and World Cup hero Mark Schwarzer was blunt when asking Gustavsson about why he didn’t make any earlier changes as they spoke on Optus Sport after the game.
Schwarzer was not happy with Gustavsson’s first move to bring defender Clare Polkinghorne on to replace Cortnee Vine in a move that saw him push defender Alanna Kennedy to play up top as a tall target.
While Kennedy did ultimately score the goal that gave Australia a pulse in the 100th minute, Polkinghorne’s introduction did little to give Australia a spark in the top third.
It was the introduction of Alex Chidiac in the 85th minute that saw Australia find some firepower up front — but Schwarzer said the decision to bring her on came too late.
“I think when he looks back at the substitutions he made and the type of substitutions he made, he will look back with a bit of regret,” Schwarzer said.
“Bringing in Polkinghorne and moving Alanna Kennedy up front was way too early. It wasn’t effective until late in the game. I think when Chidiac came on she was a big difference. She should have probably scored, but I think if she had been on the field earlier it could have been a different result.”
He also said: “Nigeria are quick, they’re very energetic. They’ve got Asisat Oshoale who comes on.
“There’s 20 minutes to go and they’ve made four substitutions and we haven’t made one. What are our players thinking? They’ve made five substitutions and we haven’t made one.”
Former Matildas player Amy Chapman also said Gustavsson got it wrong.
“Chidiac really made a difference, we really needed that 15 minutes earlier,” she said on Optus Sport.
“He needed to go for it. There’s a 3-1 gap there. It’s too late. They’re getting frustrated. Nigeria are dropping further and further back. It was too late.”
Matildas player Elise Kellond-Knight also said on Channel 7 she would have liked Gustavsson to make a change down Australia’s right wing where Carpenter and Hayley Raso appeared to be clunky when trying to move the ball forward.
“It was curious. I would have personally done something at the 70-minute mark,” she said.
“For me, down the right side, it just wasn’t working tonight. The combination between Hayley and Ellie, it just wasn’t complimenting each other”.
Aussie Captain Steph Catley said she felt her team did enough to win the game, but also conceded: “They were great on the counter and they finished their chances. We’ve just got think to Canada now.
“A lot of things (went wrong). We weren’t patient enough at times and we weren’t clinical enough,” she told Optus Sport.
“We had a lot of set-pieces tonight that usually maybe one or two go in.
“We’ve just got to move on as quick as possible because this is what World Cups are about.
“Our backs are up against the wall now, and it’s not how we would have liked it, but nothing good comes easy.”
Incredibly, Australia very nearly pinched a draw in some late drama with a goal in the 110th minute. The Matildas also had a final shot in the 111th minute that was well saved by the Nigerian shot-stopper.
The most painful moment came earlier in the match when Alanna Kennedy had a moment she will struggle to forget with one of the biggest blunders of her career.
Racing back with the flight of the ball, Kennedy tried to head the ball to keeper Mackenzie Arnold but her pass was well wide of the mark and it allowed Asisat Oshoala to tap into the open net in the 72nd minute.
“Australia completely switched off in defence. Oshoala has scored her eighth international goal for the Super Falcons,” Channel 7’s David Basheer said.
Football commentators have torched Kennedy for the costly mistake.
Former England defender Gilly Flaherty said on the BBC: “Kennedy needs to do better, she needs to make the decision to either head it or put her foot through it, but she does neither”.
Sky Sports commentator Laura Hunter said: “This was not in the script. What a dreadful result this is for the tournament co-hosts. They haven’t been at all convincing in these opening two games and now face an uphill battle to qualify from Group B.”
