Australia put loss to England behind, brace up for third place match

Co-hosts Australia are bracing up for a third place match against Sweden after losing semi-final match 3-1 against the Lionesses of England.

Australia coach Tony Gustavsson told his players that they have “no time to dwell” on their crushing Women’s World Cup semi-final loss against England on Wednesday, with the third-place match looming on Saturday.

The Matildas are realigning for the match despite the disappointment, reports Japan Times.

The players must lift themselves one last time to vie for bronze against Sweden in Brisbane on Saturday, with a legion of new fans wanting more.

“I actually said in the circle after the game, it’s an extremely short turnaround to that game,” said Gustavsson, who will be facing his home country.

“I know we’re emotional, but we have no time to dwell on this one. We have a bronze medal game to play. We need to be ready.

“We’re tough, we’re fit, we dig deep. We have the support from the fans.”

Australia’s run to the semifinals was its best showing in a World Cup and sparked a groundswell of interest in soccer, winning hordes of new fans to a sport that usually plays second fiddle to Australian rules football, rugby and cricket.

The Matildas’ showdown with England was watched by a record 11 million Australians — nearly half the country’s population — broadcast data showed.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the players’ achievements would leave a lasting legacy, and praised them for the way they carried themselves on and off the field.

“The Matildas have inspired this and future generations to come,” he said on Thursday.

“To see the young girls, but also young boys with their faces painted, with their jerseys on, attending the Matildas games, watching right around the country is an inspiration and it will have a lasting impact.”

Star striker Sam Kerr, who scored a sensational equalizer against England, admitted the team was heartbroken, but said it was determined to repay the fans and go out on a high against Sweden.

“The amount of people who’ve come out to support us, who’ve been there at our hotel, I’ll say it again — it’s been amazing. We never could have dreamed about this kind of support,” she said.

“So yeah, we have to pick ourselves up and go again. And we’re going to do everything to win third place. We’ll be back up, ready to go to Brisbane, and hopefully to make everyone proud.”

Australia will face a dangerous squad in third-ranked Sweden, which won all of its group games and then knocked out the United States, the defending champion, and Japan before losing 2-1 against Spain in the semifinals.

Peter Gerhardsson’s side, which finished third in 2019, has the added motivation of wanting to send off inspirational captain Caroline Seger with a victory in her final international game.

Gustavsson knows the team well and predicted “a very interesting matchup.”

“I’m going to be honest, I hoped that it would’ve been the final, both for Sweden and us,” he said. “But now it’s a bronze medal game and we need to make the most of that.”