And so it comes to this.
Four years of hard work. The weight of a nation’s expectations. Arguably the best squad Australia has ever sent to an international football tournament. One of the world’s best strikers.
When the Matildas kick off in Valenciennes on Sunday, they commence a campaign that could become a potent salve for the challenges that have beset Australian football in recent years.
The scandals, the infighting, the politics, the Twitter wars – all could be forgotten, at least temporarily, if the Australians can shine in France.
“If”? It’s a vexed word.
For all the hype, for all the victories of the past four years, none of it ultimately matters on Sunday.
When the Matildas and Italy step onto the green carpet of Stade du Hainaut, it will be a blank canvas. At the World Cup, anything is possible.
1. Will the Stajcic sacking ever go away?
Football Federation Australia’s unexpected sacking of Alen Stajcic continues to haunt the Matildas.
New coach Ante Milicic and captain Sam Kerr were asked repeatedly about the saga at the pre-match press conference, after a major feature about Stajcic in on Saturday.
“I haven’t seen the article – we’ve been keeping off social media,” Kerr admitted.
“It is all outside noise for us,” she continued. “We are focused on our team, on our game tomorrow. We know what we need to do to win the group and win the World Cup.”
2. Was the Dutch loss a blip, or a sign of things to come?
The Matildas have conceded eight goals in their past two matches.
“I’m obviously disappointed,” coach Ante Milicic conceded after Australia’s first and only World Cup warm-up match, against the Netherlands. “It’s a concern when you concede five goals against the USA and then in your next game you concede three.”
Losing 5-3 to the world number one-ranked United States may be no embarrassment.
But the million dollar question is whether the heavy loss to Holland, ranked two places below Australia, was a short term aberration or evidence of a form blip.
While the loss admittedly came amid a heavy pre-tournament workload before tapering had begun, it was still a wake-up call for the Matildas.
Better Eindhoven than Valenciennes, true. On Sunday we will find out whether the message was heeded.
3. Will the young guns be given an opportunity to shine?
The Matildas have traditionally been known for blooding young talent early.
But the current squad has more experience than youthful potential.
The average age of the Australian starting 11 against the Netherlands was 25 – the average age of the line-up against the United States for the Matildas’ 2015 World Cup opener was a year younger.
But several young prodigies might be given an opportunity in Valenciennes. 19-year-old Ellie Carpenter is set for a breakout tournament as a starting member of the backline, while Karly Roestbakken could make her debut at 18 from the substitute bench following a last-minute call-up.
Further forward, all eyes are on teenage sensation Mary Fowler.
If the 16-year-old takes to the field in France, she will become the fifth-youngest player to appear at the Women’s World Cup.
But that is not going to happen in Valenciennes – after suffering a minor hamstring strain, she walked laps at on Saturday while the team trained and Milicic confirmed she would not play.
4. Can the Italians handle the big stage?
Italy reached the quarter-finals of the first-ever Women’s World Cup, in China in 1991. They returned to the tournament eight years later, failing to progress from the group stage at the 1999 edition in the United States.
Le Azzurre haven’t been back since, until now. The Italians missed four consecutive World Cups, as women’s football in the sport’s heartland endured a bleak period.
But Italy is heading towards the light once more. Increased investment from several heavyweight domestic clubs has been a big boost.
Serie A clubs are now required to have a women’s team. Last year, Juventus Women broke their attendance record with almost 40,000 spectators cramming into the Allianz Stadium for a clash against Fiorentina.
The Australians are not taking their opponents lightly.
“Italy are one of the best improved teams in women’s football,” said Milicic on Saturday.
Yet for all their domestic experience in Italy and abroad – captain Gama spent two years at PSG, while Elena Linari recently clinched the La Liga title with Atlético Madrid – the Italians have not played on such a grand stage for two decades.
While the Italians may benefit from modest expectations, their lack of nous at this level could hand Australia a mental advantage.
5. Will Sam Kerr make light work of Italy’s defence?
As befits an Italian national team, Le Azzurre are defensively strong.
They topped their European qualifying group, conceding just four goals (two of which came after they had already qualified). The Italians have been in camp since early May, giving coach Milena Bertolini ample time to drill her charges.
But in Valenciennes they face a tough test in free-scoring Sam Kerr, and her attacking-minded team-mates.
“When we play our football, we have one of the best forward lines in the world,” suggested Kerr. “Every game we go into, we are confident we can score.
“But by no means do we think it is going to be easy.”
The Italians are also missing key central defender Cecilia Salvai, missing due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
If Italy can withstand Kerr and co, they will stand a good chance of progressing into the round of 16 and beyond. If Kerr opens her 2019 World Cup account on Sunday, their hopes will rapidly dwindle.
Kieran Pender is covering the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup for The World Game. Follow him on Twitter: .
