The Matildas make history: Penalty kick shootout puts Australia in the semis

The Matildas have made history, defeating France to advance to the Women’s World Cup semi-final for the first time. After running out of regulation time and two periods of extra time, the fate of the match was decided on penalty kicks.

This was the longest penalty shootout in World Cup history (men’s or women’s) with twenty penalty kicks taken. Technically there were twenty-one penalty kicks taken, but we’ll get into that in a minute. We’re going to break down the penalty shootout that took place, what it means to the Aussies, and why we’re seeing so many penalty shootouts at this year’s Women’s World Cup.

France exits the tournament in the quarter-finals for the third time in a row, falling to one of the host countries. Australia is set to make their semi-final debut against England on Aug. 16 at 6 a.m. EST. The game was a battle between the two sides, with chaotic moments in the box that almost resulted in a goal for both teams. Australia had bigger chances, but the French had more shots taken. Possession was shared equally, and this game felt like it could’ve turned on a dime for either side.

The Matildas had two major chances in the regulation time. The first came from a wild scuffle in the box where the French keeper was off her line, leaving Van Egmond to pass back to Mary Fowler, who would’ve put this one away if not for the effort of French center-back de Almeida. The next came in the second half when Hayley Raso got an incredible shot off that was tipped over by Peyraud-Magnin to deny the Australians the lead.

France had a couple of looks at goal in regulation, with Selma Bacha having a really great match. But their wildest moment came off a corner kick, where captain Wendie Renard headed the ball into the back of the net in the 100th minute. But the goal was disallowed considering Renard brought down Foord inside the box to get the goal.

At the end of the 90 minutes and extra time there were still no goals, sending this game to penalties. It’s worth noting that France made a keeper sub in the 124th minute, seemingly switching out to prepare for penalty kicks as Solène Durand came in for Peyraud-Magnin. Australia had made one sub in the second half, sending in superstar Sam Kerr to the pitch in the 55th minute. But they made their own extra-time substitutions as well, with Courtney Vine and Temaka Yallop coming in past the 100th minute.

The Matildas pull through in penalty-kick marathon over France

There were a total of 21 penalty kicks taken, with France getting to redo one after a VAR review that declared Mackenzie Arnold off her line to make the save. She still saved the redo kick anyway, and two others to help Australia along to the final. Arnold was undoubtedly one of the heroes of this match, earning the VISA Player of the Match for her incredible saves. But the name on the mind of every Australian fan will be Courtney Vine, who sunk the tenth penalty kick to send Australia through.

This is the third World Cup game in the knockout rounds to go penalty kicks, and it’s the longest penalty kick shootout in any World Cup, men’s or women’s. While every fan dreads going to penalty kicks, they add excitement to games, bringing the result down to between two players where everything is on the line.

There are incredible tactics to be applied to penalties, from last-minute substitutes, to switching out keepers, to what order and which players are going to take the kicks. In a time where the game is growing at an exponential rate, games going to penalty kicks bring an extra level of tension and excitement to the biggest tournament in history. It’s a testament to the growth of the game overall, as teams fight tooth and nail for one hundred and twenty minutes, either conceding equally or denying their opponent opportunity after opportunity.

Penalty kicks can produce the most heartbreaking results, knocking out teams sometimes by millimeters in the case of the United States this year. Or they can make history, putting a side like Australia through the semi-finals. Having games head into penalties can seem stressful, but they provide a fantastic opportunity to produce wild results and generate incredible storylines and comebacks.

There are just five more World Cup games and you’re not going to want to miss a single one.  Sweden will meet Spain in their semi-final match on Aug. 15 at 4 a.m. EST. Australia moves on to take on England in the semi-final match on Aug. 16 at 6 a.m. EST. The winners of those matches will play in the final on Aug. 20 at 6 a.m. EST, where we will see a new country crowned this year’s World Cup champion.