The Maltidas of Australia on Saturday at the Lang Park (Suncorp) Stadium, Brisbane re-wrote history of world football in the most gruesome penalty shootouts ever, 20 kicks as the nation pathetically strolled past Les Blueus of France 7-6 to move to the semifinal of the tournament.

25 year old Sydney FC player, substitute in this match, Cortnee Vine shot the winner, the last kick that pulled Australia into world history. Maria Carvajal of Chile was the Ref in charge.

The Maltidas recorded the first team, male or female to ever qualify for any semifinal of the world cup. The team broke the jinx that no hosts would move to the last four as only USA broke it twice. The country recorded the highest country to make a devastating deafening noise, the highest I have ever encountered in my 46 years of reporting most of which were as a Broadcaster, for I will surely need to see an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Medical Specialist.

S. Bacha missed the first kickoff the game before Perisset, Dali and Becho also lost their kicks for France. Dali was given an opportunity to retake her kick but she still missed it.

The six scorers for France were Diani, Renard, Le Sommer, Geyano, Karchaoui and Lakar.

Scorers for AAustralia were Foord, Kerr, Fowler, Gorry, Yallop, Carpenter and Vine in that order.

Losers for Australia were Cutley, goalkeeper Arnold and Hunt.

France desperate for a win brought in Sassuolo Goalkeeper, Solene Durand who has never featured at this tournament for Peyraud Magnin at the 123rd minute in the match that went to 126 minutes. The two coaches shook hands wishing each other best of luck before the penalty shootouts.

France scored 101st minute from a header of Wendie Renard off a corner kick that was not right in the first instance. Renard’s goal was rejected by the Ref because she had pulled down Foord to the turf to get the header. The ball had gone into touch before France brought it back into play and neither the VAR nor the match officials saw it.

The extremely tensed match was watched with 49,461 spectators at the main bowl of the Suncorp Stadium but unknown figure of tumultuous crowd were watching on screens in Fig Grove and Suncorp Stadium Gate G. Surely, they have more crowd than those who watched Australia versus France on July 14 this year.

France played a goalless draw with Jamaica 23rd July; defeated Brazil 2-1 on the 29th of July and thrashed Panama 6-3 on 2nd August. France started their knockout stages with a 4-0 pounding of Morocco in the round of 16 matches.

Co-hosts Australia who was in Nigeria’s Group B piped Ireland 1-0 on 20th July; lost to Nigeria in a dramatic 2-3 game and suddenly pummeled Canada 4-0 on 1st August. Australia dented Denmark 2-0 in the round of 16 matches.

Australia is in her 5th knockout stage appearances at the world cup since 2007. She won only once 1-0 over Brazil at the R16 of 2015. She was eliminated at the R16 stage of the last competition in France 2019 losing to Norway on penalties. Australia registered their biggest win at the world cup in their last group B game against Canada 4-0. The team kept clean sheets in two of their three games.

France’s highest achievement was 4th at the German 2011 games when she lost the Bronze to Sweden 2-1; coming to the party for the 5th time, France made the quarterfinal two consecutive times now three times in 2015, and at hosting in 2019 but were sent off at the group stage in USA 2003.

Australia and France are meeting for the first time at the world cup. Records I do not have says Australia never lost to France when playing on home ground in all competitions winning three matches and drawing one with the most recent being played on 14th July 2023.

The Maltidas of Australia defeated the world no 5, France by a lone goal at the Marvel Stadium in Sydney on the eve of co-hosting the world cup14th July 2023 before a record crowd of 50,629 and with Herve Renard in charge of the French team. France had dominated the wins bashing the Aussies 6-0 on 11th October 2013; beating the country of kangaroos 2-1 on 16th June 2018 and lashing Australia 4-1 on 22nd November 2022.

This is the 3rd quarterfinals of Australia at the world cup after taking part at this stage in three editions 2007 and 2015. Australia lost each of the previous quarterfinals scoring three goals and conceding 7 in total. USA is the only host to have reached the semifinals in 1999 and 2003.

Australia will now meet winner of England versus Columbia on Wednesday 16th August at 1100 hours at Stadium Australia.

Sweden will meet Spain in the first semifinal on Tuesday 15th august at Eden Park in Auckland at 0900 hours.

We are still expecting the 4th quarterfinal at 1130 hours playing at Stadium Australia between Lionesses of England that defeated Nigeria and the Power-Puff girls of Columbia with Ref Mark Geiger of USA in charge.

Something unique is that we are expecting a new champion for the world as previous champions, four times winner USA; Two times winner, Germany; Japan and Norway that won one time each have been exited in this tournament.

By Eniola Olatunji

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