Fear gives way to belief as Matildas enjoy defining World Cup moment
Tony Gustavsson was keen to focus on the numbers but it is hard to explain how Australia were so improved against CanadaThe Matildas coach, Tony Gustavsson, is a maths teacher by training. It shows. Even on the biggest night yet in the history of Australian women’s football, when his team had just demolished the Olympic champions, Canada to progress to the round of 16 at a home World Cup, Gustavsson finds comfort in numbers. Which is how he found himself in the bowels of the stadium after the match, reciting statistics.“Since we played Canada last time, we have won 11 out of 13 games, including five against top-ranked opposition,” Gustavsson said. “We scored 33 goals and conceded eight.” He proceeded...