Matildas coach makes staggering confession as fans call out ugly Sam Kerr detail at Olympics
The Aussies copped a massive reality check as they went down 3-0 to Germany.
Matildas coach Tony Gusavsson has admitted the team "let Australia down" after their brutal 3-0 loss to Germany at the Olympics. The Matildas were given a huge reality check amid Sam Kerr's absence, with the 2016 gold medallists wiping them off the pitch.
Marina Hegering, Lea Schueller and Jule Brand all found the back of the net for Germany, while the Aussies failed to create any real chances of note. The loss has left Gustavsson's side needing a big win against Zambia on Sunday, before a blockbuster clash with the USA next week.
“I just want to say I’m so sorry to let down the fans back home,” Gustavsson said after the game. “I know we disappointed a lot of people."
However the coach remains confident that all is not lost. “The one thing I know about this team is that when they’re backed against a corner and there’s a lot of s*** thrown at them with curve balls and different ways, a loss 3-0 or baggage going missing … they never use these things as excuses. This side is so physical normally, we win all the one-on-one duels, there’s aggressiveness there, we’re running and our speed beats teams. But it wasn’t really there tonight.
“I think we needed that as a wake up call to say okay, now we’re in it. Hopefully that was the rusty performance we hopefully needed to get out of the system and then come back against Zambia.”
Captain Steph Catley said after full-time: "It was definitely a wake-up call. We have two more games and we have to turn it around quickly. We have a lot to learn from here. I think at times we were well on top and let two set pieces affect the game in a very negative way.
"There are things that we can fix nice and quickly, which is good. But we just need to be better. They are a good team. We did it to ourselves in the end. We conceded two set pieces. We are usually much, much better on set pieces. It is a wake-up call and it is not to our standard and we need to be better for the next game and turn this tournament around."
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Fans call out Sam Kerr detail amid brutal loss for Matildas
The Matildas were rocked by the loss of veteran player Tameka Yallop before the game, which added to the vast experience the Aussie team is missing in Paris. Superstar striker Sam Kerr isn't playing at the Olympics due to a knee injury, and fans were quick to point out how tame the Matildas looked in attack.
No they showed up but are not at Germany’s level. They’re missing Sam Kerr plain and simple. I’m sick of people underestimating her importance to this team on & off the field. Forget the WC that was on home soil, playing in France is completely different.
— Nicole (@nrstanley01) July 25, 2024
Have long called the #Matildas the Sam Kerr & 10 others she met at the park team...
They're great with her.
They're great at home with partisan crowds.
They're utterly shambolic without her overseas.#Paris2024 #Olympics #Tillies— James Bing (@JamesBingTheO) July 25, 2024
Let’s be real here.
Without Sam Kerr, we were always going to struggle— Sh.\neo (@ShaneoNUFC) July 25, 2024
Unfortunately there are 2 #Matildas one with Sam Kerr and one without.
— Mossy (@moss_andrews) July 25, 2024
Speaking before the game, US women's football legend Julie Foudy said she doubted the Matildas can make a run to a medal in Paris without Kerr. “I think they can get out of their group but I think it might be a bridge too far this time without Sam Kerr, with Caitlin Foord coming off an injury, with Katrina Gorry in the midfield coming off an injury,” Foudy told The Daily Telegraph. “I worry they don’t have the health to sustain them. We know you’re going to need all 16 players (this tournament), it’s a grind.”
