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Michael Church

Sam Kerr has long been the poster girl for Australia’s co-hosting of the Women’s World Cup and as her country’s first game approaches, the Chelsea striker is relishing mounting a title challenge four years in the making.
The Australians kick off their campaign against Ireland at a sold-out Stadium Australia on Thursday, with expectations among the 80,000 crowd and the wider the nation growing that Tony Gustavsson’s side, ranked 10th in the world, can upset the established order.
That might be fanciful for a nation that has never advanced beyond the quarter-finals in seven previous Women’s World Cup appearances, but hopes are high that home advantage and a squad featuring a healthy mix of youth and experience can ensure a serious title tilt over the coming month.
“The expectation for me has been growing over the four years,” Kerr said. “It’s been something I’ve learned to deal with. I really enjoy it.
“Everyone in Australia has a lot of expectations, but it’s something I take in my stride and I try and enjoy it. Back at Chelsea I’ve done that too, I just enjoy it and that’s when I’m at my best me.”

Kerr’s performances for Chelsea in recent seasons have marked her out as one of the world’s best female players, with the 29-year-old winning four FA Women’s Super League titles and twice finishing as the league’s top scorer in the 3½ seasons since she moving to England in 2020.
Her record for Australia is as impressive, scoring 63 times in 120 appearances for the Matildas. This tournament will be her fourth at a Women’s World Cup finals having made her debut as a 17-year-old in Germany in 2011.
“I’m really excited,” Kerr said of the tournament opener. “I think we’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time, so now that it’s finally here, to come to the stadium and have the realisation that we’ve got the Women’s World Cup is a really proud moment for all of us.
“We’ve been ready to go all week, so we can’t wait to get started tomorrow.”
The Matildas will be expected to make a winning start against the Irish having lost just once in their past 10 games, with their confidence buoyed by a 1-0 win over France in Melbourne on Friday.

That game was played out in front of 50,000 fans at Marvel Stadium and will have prepared Kerr and her teammates for the challenge of performing in front of an expectant home crowd.
“It’s nice to be able to feel the love, but we’re also proud to be able to be in this World Cup and share the experience of what we do all around the world,” she said of playing at home.
“It’s amazing. It’s something we’re trying to take in our stride. Every time we play Ireland we’ve played really well so hopefully that’s how this tournament goes too.”
Kerr said it would be OK for players to feel nervous, or be “overawed by the crowd”, but urged her teammates to “live in the moment”.
“That’s football,” she said. “It’s about being in the moment and supporting one another. The 50,000 the other day was amazing and I felt we dealt with it really well.
“Everyone’s more looking forward to it than nervous about the crowd.”
Separately, Ireland coach Vera Pauw said midfielder Denise O’Sullivan would be fit to start her country’s game in Sydney on Thursday.
The Irish international was injured in a behind-closed-doors friendly with Colombia in Brisbane last Thursday, and Pauw removed her players from the field and abandoned the game because of what the Football Association of Ireland called “overly physical” play from their opponents.
A scan revealed no fracture in O’Sullivan’s shin, and Pauw said she has recovered and was ready to go as Ireland play their first game at a major tournament.
“Denise is fit and ready to play … she trained yesterday and after a full training today, she can play tomorrow,” Pauw said.
Ireland face the co-hosts in the sold-out opener before going on to meet Canada and Nigeria in Group B.


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Sport

Football

Chelsea striker happy to carry country’s weight of expectation into tournament and first game against Ireland on Thursday
Kerr is playing in her fourth World Cup having made her debut as a 17-year-old in Germany in 2011


Chelsea striker happy to carry country’s weight of expectation into tournament and first game against Ireland on Thursday.
