She had the chance to win it all, but then Mackenzie Arnold hit the post. How she came back to win the World Cup shootout said everything about the Matildas' journey here.
The sound seemed to echo for an age, hanging in the stunned silence of Brisbane Stadium as millions watched the ball spin out into the empty grass near the sideline.moment — roll away into the distance.
Arnold had set herself up perfectly, making arguably her best save of the game to palm Eve Perisset's penalty onto the cold white metal just a few moments earlier, which took the shootout score to 3-3 with one kick remaining. The noise around the stadium swelled as 49,000 people collectively realised what was about to happen, the anticipation reaching a crescendo as the sound crested over the top of the moment that could change Australian football forever."It was almost like it was written in the stars when Macca walks up and takes that fifth one, right?" Tony Gustavsson said afterwards."And then she hits the post. And you go: okay, maybe it's not meant to be.
She had been on the sideline for two World Cups before this, in 2015 and 2019, but was never confident she'd make her way onto the grass. There were always others above her in the pecking-order: goalkeepers like Melissa Barbieri, Lydia Williams, and Teagan Micah who were more assured, more experienced, more able to handle the weight of the moment.
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