Matildas on a quest for lasting legacy beyond winning a home World Cup

England have embraced their villain status here, yet in this semi-final they face not just a team but an entire nation

QUEST: Australia's Sam Kerr celebrates after scoring during a penalty shootout during the Women's World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Australia and France. Pic: AP Photo/Tertius Pickard

The first time Emily van Egmond played football for Australia, nobody bothered counting the number of people watching. It was a friendly against North Korea at Ballymore in 2010, and although the national team midfielder reckons there were “maybe a couple of thousand” people in attendance, nobody knows for sure because, after all, who really cared? 

These were fringe players in a fringe team in a fringe sport. Stores were not selling out of replica Matildas jerseys because there were no replica Matildas jerseys. Australia won 3-2 and a national holiday was not declared.