For Caitlin Murray’s game report from USA v Australia, click here.
PEEEP! Full-time: USA 3-1 Australia
And that’s it. USA are deserved winners in the end. Australia came out fighting, and it took two world class saves from Solo to keep her side in the game. But as time went on, Rapinoe began to stamp her authority on the game, and Australia didn’t have a similar talent to match her. The US also look much, much better when they pass it short and control the game. Although annoyingly for my analysis two of their goals came from long balls.
Australia can be hopeful of getting out of the group though, with De Vanna and Van Egmond both dangerous, and the group’s most dangerous team out of the way.
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90 min +2: Another long hack from Australia. Another easy clearance from USA.
90 min: There will be three minutes of added time. So now you know.
89 min: The US may as well be sitting back at the bar and drinking some cocktails now, such is their ease as they stroke the ball around. Now it’s Australia relying on the long ball.
87 min: Brian is on for Rapinoe, who has been utterly excellent. She gets a well-deserved, looud cheer from the US fans. And a big hug from her team-mates on the bench.
85 min: Australia have really dropped off now. Those Solo saves early on look incredibly value for the US, if the Matildas had gone 2-0 up it would have been tough to see the US coming back.
83 min: Morgan is getting a run - interesting to see if she comes in for the next game.
81 min: Rapinoe really has been the difference between the two teams today (along with Solo). Australia just haven’t had the killer touch that Rapinoe has displayed. Kennedy is on for Gorry for Australia. Morgan is on for Leroux for the US.
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GOAL! USA 3-1 Australia (Rapinoe 78 min)
An outstanding goal from the game’s outstanding player. She wins possession just inside the Australia half and continues her run up the pitch before rifling a shot across Barbieri and into the net.
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77 min: The US can pass it around beautifully on the ground when they want, as they’re doing now. It’s killing time nicely and making tired Australia chase the ball round the pitch.
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74 min: Excellent stuff from Barbieri, diving forward to cut out a dangerous cross from the US.
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71 min: Australia chance! Van Egmond’s long shot is palmed away by Solo. Those two have had a battle today. Australia have had five shots on goal to USA’s four so far. This is contrary to the US commentary teams belief that USA have had 468,784 shots on goals to Australia’s minus two.
69 min: Rapinoe’s cheeky backheel nearly creates another good chance for Klingenberg. Simon comes on for Heyman for Australia.
68 min: Wambach’s third decent headed chance of the game. Plunging to dive wide of Barbieri’s goal. Heath is on for the goalscorer Press. “I’m an American but now watching with the commentary muted,” says William Sheehan. “I expect some sort of professionalism from commentators. This is just plain disgusting.” Agreed, the most one-eyed commentary since Cyclops and Long John Silver sat down to narrate the Fictional Olympics. Hang on, did Long John Silver have one leg or one eye? Or one leg and one eye? Big questions.
65 min: Rapinoe is determined to get involved in everything: this time it’s a booking. An Aussie player goes down very easily, and Rapinoe is harshly booked.
63 min: Was that deserved? Possibly - Australia had been less dangerous this half and the US have found their way into the game more and more. Rapinoe has had two moments of brilliance - and both have resulted in goals.
GOAL! USA 2-1 Australia (Press 60 min)
A long punt from Solo finds Rapinoe, whose beautiful sidefoot releases Leroux down the left flank, She crosses to Press, who shoots low past Barbieri. Cool, cool finish.
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60 min: Rapinoe, who has been quiet this half, has a free-kick on the left-hand side of the area. Barbieri has plenty of time to see it as it loops into the evening sky though and gathers safely.
57 min: We have our first booking. Holiday cuts down De Vanna in full flow. She protests her innocence, something undermined by the fact that the foul was in full view of the ref. Yellow card for Holiday.
54 min: The US are passing it alot more efficiently this half, relying on shorter balls rather than punts. It’s more effective too, and they’ve found some holes down the flanks.
51 min: Kerr is definitely OK. She burns the US defence with her pace as she races into the box, and Sauerbrunn has to slide in to deflect the shot away for a corner (which comes to nothing).
49 min: Some people are saying Rapinoe’s goal should have been an own-goal, as it took a big deflection. For the pirouette alone, she deserved it. Kerr is down clutching her back and emits a loud “EFFF” but with some other letters. The Bad Letters. Anyway, she looks OK to continue.
46 min: And we’re back. “Watching at O’Hare airport in Chicago, thankfully no audio,” says PCLamourie. “USA back line better get organized in a hurry. Agree they have the players to keep possession, play patiently, and look for their opportunities. Rapinoe the only bright spot. If all they’ve got are long balls for Wambach to knock down or for others to try and run onto, it’ll be a long tournament.”
Some balance on my US commentary comments. This from my colleague Richard Parkin in Australia: “You should listen to the Australian commentary - we should be up by about five apparently!” That’s ridiculous: Australia should only be winning by three.
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Half time emails:
Andrew Williams agrees with me on the US commentary: “It’s as though there’s only one team on the field and Australia’s existence as a country, let alone team is entirely incidental. That and the US is starting a bit of a hack-a-thin because of the Ozlander’s pace.”
Meanwhile, someone in Australia who wants to remain anonymous due to the fact that he’s emailing in while he should be working - let’s call him Tony Abbott – says: “I’m reduced to sneakily emailing this from work. How dare they schedule games outside our traditional hours of 1-5am! It’s yet another example of anti-Australian bias from Fifa (along with putting us in a group of death, again).”
Half-time: LeRoux snatches at a shot on the edge of the area, but she sends it waaaaaay over the bar. Next stop, Vancouver!
45 min: The US TV commentary is garbage. They seem to think the US are on top. They’re not. They’re really not. Goalkeeping aside, Australia have been better in every aspect of the game. Solo proves that point, diving to her left to grasp a free-kick.
43 min: Wambach connects this time! Her header is from around 10 yards out after a ball in from Klingenberg but it’s straight at Barbieri.
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40 min: Rapinoe, the US’s best player today, floats in a delicious free-kick - so lovely you could serve it up for dinner - and Wambach is this far from connecting with a diving header.
37 min: Australia line-up a free-kick around 30 yards out, in the centre of the pitch. The Matildas opt for the shot but the ball cannons into the wall and away to safety.
35 min: Another long ball from the US (Johnston this time) and another easy clearance for Australia. With players as skilled as Rapinoe they don’t need to resort to crude stuff like this.
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33 min: The US too reliant on the long ball. Whereas Australia played the ball about in their opponents’ half for their goal - and at other times - the US are still banging the ball in long like it was the 1990s.
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30 min: Meanwhile, Hillary says:
Couldn't be prouder to have the women of Team #USA representing us in stars, stripes, and shin guards. Good luck, @ussoccer_wnt! -H
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 8, 2015
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29 min: Australia would be 3-1 up in this game if Solo hadn’t been at her best.
GOAL! USA 1-1 Australia (De Vanna 26)
The US fail to clear a free-kick (twice). The ball is played into the box again, it’s slipped wide to De Vanna and she makes no mistake with her low shot past Solo. No more than they’ve deserved and Australia were able to ping it about with ease in the US area there.
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24 min: Van Egmond has been excellent for Australia today, she sets up an attack down the left but the cross fails to find a target.
21 min: The US send in another long, flighted free-kick into the Matildas area but Barbieri comes out to claim the high ball. At the other end, De Vanna cuts in from the right but her shot is high to Solo’s left and the keeper watches it sail over.
17 min: How will Australia react to going behind after completely dominating the game. There’s been a bit of a lull since the goal and the US have done a better job of keeping possession than they did before the goal. Looking at a replay of the goal, I didn’t give enough credit to Rapinoe who pirouetted beautifully to find space for the shot.
14 min: Australia nearly score at the other end: Kerr’s low volley is palmed away by Solo. The US are one up in this game but they could easily be 2-0 down. Solo has been brilliant.
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GOAL! USA 1-0 Australia (Rapinoe 12 min)
Well, some said the US are too reliant on the long ball but they score off one. The ball is pumped up forward, and in the melee the ball comes out to Rapinoe whose shot is deflected past the helpless Barbieri.
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10 min: Australia re getting a lot of joy running in behind the US defence, their speed is causing more than a few problems for the Olympic gold medallists. It’s the US who look more nervous at the moment ...
8 min: US catch their (collective breath) and actually venture into the Matildas’ half but it wanders out for a goal-kick. Replays of Solo’s save their - brilliant reactions and strong wrists to push the ball up on to the bar.
6 min: More attacks from Australia! Moments after Solo is shaken up in a collision with Heyman, she’s called into action again after Van Egmond thrashes it from the edge of the area. Solo claws the ball away though and tips the ball onto the bar. Australia have really come out punching.
3 min: Another good chance for Australia, the ball is knocked in from the left and there’s a bit of confusion from the US defence but they thrash it away. Australia have come out punching.
1 min: And we’re off! USA are in white and Australia dark blue. Australia don’t hang about either, Van Egmond sending a shot goalwards within 0.0003 seconds of kick-off. Solo gathers easily though.
The national anthems. I can report that both teams know the words to their respective anthems. I can also report that they’re better athletes than they are singers. Someone on the Matildas in particular is butchering Advance Australia Fair. I mean, really butchering it.
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The teams are out in front of a packed house. It looks like it’s 80% US fans, but you try getting a cheap flight from Australia to Canada on Qantas - it ain’t happening. Although you do get free Tim Tams at the back of the plane (for our US readers, Tim Tams are the most overrated chocolate snack in the world. Apart from Hershey’s Kisses maybe.)
Some well wishes from around the football world:
Wishing @laurenholiday12 and #USWNT good luck tonight & throughout the remainder of the @FIFAWWC! #WeBelieve #1N1T pic.twitter.com/jOq2tunz3w
— brad guzan (@bguzan) June 8, 2015
Shout out to amyrodriguez8 and the #USWNT fifawwc this summer! #OneNationOneTeam https://t.co/9YSjA9sfdJ
— Clint Dempsey (@clint_dempsey) June 8, 2015
Best wishes to our champion Matildas, pride of the nation. We're all with you. Time to take the next step forward.. #sbsmatildascanada
— Craig Foster (@Craig_Foster) June 8, 2015
And what of the Matildas? Check out profiles of their squad with this rather super-whizzy interactive:
US coach Jill Ellis is interviewed in the tunnel and says she’s: “Pumped, it’s a crazy feeling [to be at a World Cup].” She also says she respects Australia as an opponent. For an article with 500 times the insight of my hastily cobbled together transcript, read this interview with Ellis.
And just in case you doubted the quality of the teams in this group, here’s a report from today’s earlier game where the “weakest” team in the group, Nigeria drew with Sweden in a thriller.
The history books These two teams have played each other 24 times, and you could say the US hold a slight advantage: they’ve won 22 of the meetings with a couple of draws thrown in. The maths experts among you may have noticed that means that Australia have never beaten the US. But many of those matches took place when the US dominated women’s soccer, and the Matildas were a growing force. And before Lisa De Vanna started doing things like this (which we’re contractually obliged to show before every Matildas game):
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So, it’s the world No2 team – and bookies favourites - against the world No10. The US are also unbeaten in nine games but this is no walkover. The Matildas have a terrifying, speedy forward line in the form of De Vanna, Heyman and Kerr and could cause big problems for the US defence, particularly the inexperienced Julie Johnstone. The US have Alex Morgan on the bench, which will be a relief for the Matildas - she’ll probably come on at some point but the striker hasn’t played since April.
Good evening. And welcome to the Group of Death! Your line-ups for the game are in:
#USWNT lineup: Solo; Krieger, Sauerbrunn, Johnston, Klingenberg; Press, Holiday, Lloyd, Rapinoe; Leroux, Wambach (c) pic.twitter.com/phNY4p9SxI
— U.S. Soccer WNT (@ussoccer_wnt) June 8, 2015
Just over an hour until kick-off! Here's how @TheMatildas will line up against #USA today! #GoMatildas #ThisIsIt pic.twitter.com/kOckIN1cr5
— Westfield Matildas (@TheMatildas) June 8, 2015
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