It was almost half an hour until the 75,784 fans at Stadium Australia on Monday night saw the team construct a meaningful attack against Denmark. It was both worth the wait,and over before they knew it.
Fowler collected possession in the middle of the Matildas’ defensive half,shrugged off one opponent,jinked onto her left foot,and spotted Caitlin Foord’s hurtling run down the left. Then she unleashed her with a simply perfect pass,weighted with almost surgical precision,putting the Arsenal star into open space.
Foord still had plenty to do,but she did it incredibly well,maintaining her rapid speed while keeping control of the ball,winding up and sliding her angled shot between the legs of Danish goalkeeper Lene Christensen. The roar that followed was perhaps one of the loudest ever at this famous venue,where the beautiful game in Australia wrote yet another gripping chapter.
Fowler,remember,is only 20 years old. Long ago she was anointed as the next Sam Kerr,a label which has never seemed to bother her. To do that,in a game of this magnitude,is extraordinary – and she wasn’t done yet. Foord,by the way,was just as good – a constant thorn in Denmark’s backside,menacing the right edge of their defence with not just her speed,but her smarts and strength.
They’ll need another room in the museum for Australia’s second goal,which came in the 71st minute and sealed this precious 2-0 triumph. It started on the left with Kyra Cooney-Cross. She found an unmarked Fowler on the edge of the box. The crowd beckoned her to shoot,and she twisted this way and that to find the room,but eventually surprised everyone by chipping the ball into the mixer.