Reporting from Stadium Australia in Sydney.
The music has stopped, the lights are slowly dimming, the party’s over. The Australian women’s national team’s 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup run has come to an end after a 2-1 loss to England on Wednesday.
There was a sense of shock at Stadium Australia as the final whistle blew and the Matildas stood on the field. They hugged and congratulated the Lionesses, but seemed to be in disbelief themselves after their spectacular World Cup run came to an abrupt stop.
Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” blasted through the stadium as the Lionesses fans celebrated England’s spot in the World Cup final.
It was a surreal experience as Australian fans waited for the Matildas to come over closer to the stands so they could give them one big cheer to close out the evening.
The team that they had lived for stood still as if they couldn’t believe it was over.
The majority of the 75,781 fans in attendance came to see Australia win and that didn’t happen. The team that captured the hearts of Australians all over the world emptied the tank and ran out of gas. The Matildas gave their country all that they could give.
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