4 years ago Australia's best ever performance at a World Cup ended at the hands of Brazil. Now in Germany the 2011 World Cup begins with a match against the same team.
It's a very different Australian side though. Through a mixture of merit and injury the Aussies are fielding a very young side (the 3rd youngest apparently) including Caitlin Foord, one of the tournaments youngest (if not the youngest) player. This relative lack of experience also comes with a healthy lack of respect for reputation and reputation is a big part of what makes Brazil tough to play. Whether it would be enough to give Australia the kind of start to a tournament they really need was the big question. Warm up games against England and Mexico suggested it was going to be a good contest.
As the teams lined up there was lots of talk about how relaxed the Australian team was... as the camera panned across the starting 11 for the anthems nothing could have demonstrated that better than Melissa Barbieri's cheeky wink at the camera. Though to be fair it's not as if the Brazilians were sweating bullets.
Within the first minute Australia had a shot at goal from a free kick.. it was far from dangerous but it did go against a widespread expectation that this was likely to be an exercise in holding back the tide. Marta too had some early success against her marker Caitlin Foord but the latter was never too far away to put pressure on and that seemed to be a large part of the plan. Someone who is fast and can make a nuisance of herself is likely to put Marta off her stride a lot more effectively than someone who can make up for the inevitable nutmeg so quickly.
Also there was an early ball through by Brazil and Uzunlar did well to chase back and trap the ball from a rushing Marta. As much as the play started to develop for both sides you felt it was going to be a busy time for Australia's two centre backs. With each of these situations diffused Australia visibly grew into their role and the confidence with which they increasingly played had them with more posession and assuredness in keeping it.
The threats on goal, despite good lead up play by both sides, were not quite so forthcoming though. After 6 minutes of play Lisa de Vanna had managed to capitalise on a defensive hiccup and ran through towards the 18 yard box before being checked by Daiane for which the ref gave a free kick. Australia's free kick specialist, Collette McCallum, is left footed and the award was on the wrong side of the box to be ideal for her but despite the ball clearing the crossbar comfortably there was a nice dip and curve on the ball.
Brazil seemed to have decided that their left wing was the way to go and a cut back from that side had Rosana needing to head the ball akwardly as it almost got behind her but all the same it only narrowly cleared the crossbar of the Australian goal and rippled the netting from above. Barbieri, falling backwards, would have been doing well to keep it out had it been on target.
On 10 minutes one of the Brazilians movements forward in the box was cut short and she fell dramatically as Uzunlar fell backwards having challenged for the ball but losing out. It is these moments that can turn out very differently when luck is deserting you. Overall, that is not only this referee, but basically all of the matches so far have tended to favour playing on over awarding free kicks for things that might well be fouls but are not overly malicious and there might be questions about the complicity of the foulee in making the fouler look bad. It was both welcome and unnerving. I think we could do with more of this type of officiating in the mens game.
At the other end Kyah Simon was also making sure that the defenders at the near post of the Brazilian goal were kept amused.
Overall the match seemed to have settled into a pattern where the teams were both holding posession in their own halves and probing for a telling break in the opposing one. Another free kick on the edge of the box for an Erika foul on Simon had McCallum try for goal again and after a brief scramble Brazil averted any threat. Brazil had to work a little harder on 22 minutes when an opportunist strike on goal was on target by Kyah Simon and required some acrobatics from Andreia to catch it. Even Caitlin Foord got forward on the right to deliver crosses. Australia were in this game and Brazil afforded them the respect and the space that came with it.
Of course Brazil wasn't going to give the game away and 25 minutes in a miscued Cristiane shot after good lead up work on the left wing left Rosana with a chance at goal which ballooned uncharacteristically over the bar. So while Australia were giving a good account of themselves Brazil were certainly just as "in" this match as their opponents.
With a half hour gone Aline was trying to be a bit too cute in defence and de Vanna used her speed to dispossess her and run through on goal... infact there was opportunity to run a bit more but de Vanna sntached at the opportunity a little too eagerly and hoping to side foot the ball inside the far post the shot was somewhat miscued and flew harmlessly wide. Soon after Tameka Butt was impeded by her own team mates as she tried to make her way through the Brazilian penalty area to get a shot away.
Brazil managed a reasonable shot at goal after a hopeful cross was intercepted but poorly controlled by Foord and the ball rolled to Marta who took a first time shot at goal that went about a metre wide. Soon after they did even better with a beautifully worked triangle of passes resulting in a cutback from Ester to Cristiane standing just left of the penalty spot for the best opportunity Brazil had of scoring in the whole match. I include the actual goal in that estimation. Alas for Brazil the ball again spooned over the bar not even forcing a save from Barbieri. Meanwhile Marta was all alone rueing the fact the ball wasn't just rolled back in her direction and she could have pretty much picked her spot.
Kyah Simon's not-quite-shot-not-quite-cross eluded Garriock running through in the middle and the half came to a close with a surprising advantage to the Aussies in the possession stats by FIFA and the promise that even if Australia didn't score they looked good enough to hold Brazil out for a valuable draw against the groups heavy favourites to win through.
After the resumption of play Brazil were more aggressive in coming forward and within barely a minute a few centimetres were all that was missing from Marta putting a cross into goal with her head... close attention from Kim Carroll clearly played a part as well.
After a cleared free kick Australia earned their first corner for the game which the hard working Heather Garriock delivered into the centre and Kyah Simon was given a free header but couldn't get enough behind it as it glaced away for a goal kick.
Then in the 54th minute luck turned against Australia. In a passage of play that wasn't particularly inspiring a cross from the right towards the top of the penalty box saw Brazilians outnumbered 3-6. The defence allowed the ball to bounce and Marta flicked the ball up with her foot twice... each time showing more determination than the defenders to get to the ball and finally headed the ball forward into the path of Rosana who was being kept onside by a defender who was... well marking space apparently and then had the temerity to appeal for offside before the ball hit the net (I think it was Kellond-Knight). Yet hit the net it did as Tameka Butt's challenge wasn't enough to stop Rosana getting solid contact on the ball leaving Barbieri rooted to the ground as the ball fizzed into the top corner for a surprising, though not entirely undeserved, lead.
The blame for this goal, particularly since subsequent games, has been laid in too great a degree at Uzunlar's feet. Certainly her inaction was complicit in the events but the entire back 4 could have done better, as could McCallum and Simon who entertained Marta antics and should have done more to intervene. Of course had they conceded a free kick in the process we'd likely berate them for that too.
With the obvious change in confidence to both sides the complexion of the match changed with Brazil loosening up and playing a little more like you would expect. Running patters, passing to feet and attempting speculative shots that will eventually come off. Australia on the other hand dug in... became more desperate... anxious. All of which was the antithesis of how they had played the game to that point and Rosana hobbling around after a miscued Butt tackle was testament to that.
On the hour coach Sermanni brought on Sally Shipard for van Egmond. Emily had been playing well but perhaps Shipard was the injection of fresh legs required, perhaps it was the experience. In any case her first involvement was challenging the keeper from a looping free kick into the area. roughly 20 seconds later.
Australia were still playing well, certainly capable of pulling out an equaliser, but then you saw things like in the 67th minute when a Marta strike was blocked by Carroll and Uzunlar hesitated not knowing Marta was following up right behind her and only hurriedly cleared the ball for what would have been a corner if not for Marta's foul in attempting the followup effort. So clearly as much as Australia were still competing there was every chance they might end up further behind.
Neither side ended up with meaningful shots on goal, some on target but easily dealt with and others where the final touch was lacking. Lisa de Vanna's 87th minute effort where she beat the offside trap, was through on goal with the keeper to beat and again snatched at the chance trying to lob the keeper and ending up lobbing the goal by a healthy margin.
With a little more than 10 minutes left Samantha Kerr replaced Kyah Simon and 5 minutes later Francielle came on for Formiga to be the only substitution coach Lima felt compelled to make. Polkinghorne on for Tameka Butt suggested that perhaps Sermanni was looking to keep the goal difference in good shape and maybe sneak a goal from a set piece.
In the final minute of added time some good pressure from Foord saw Brazil concede a corner and McCullum swung it in... it hit de Vanna in the back, was pushed away in defensive desperation before being thundered back in by Kerrfor a followup shot which had no chance of getting through the throng of players assembled in the 6 yard box. The referee put an end to the match with Australia earning no points but only conceding one goal which, as it turned out, was instrumental in them being able to qualify with a draw in their final group match to get into the quarter finals.