The Matildas may be very good again – with the usual caveats | Emma Kemp

There was a lot to admire in Australia’s Cup of Nations win over Spain, not least the timing of it with the World Cup on the horizon

The ball had barely left Cortnee Vine’s right boot and Tony Gustavsson and Mel Andreatta were already losing their minds, celebrating a stunner of a goal that opened the floodgates. To be any manager and assistant on the bench five months out from a World Cup would surely feel fraught. But to be a manager and assistant under pressure, five months out from a World Cup which they are co-hosting, might do something altogether different to the levels of cortisol in one’s body.

There were a lot of eyes on CommBank Stadium on Sunday night, scrutinising a rematch against Spain and wondering if the Matildas would confirm last June’s 7-0 loss was just an experimental anomaly. Searching for a sliver of evidence that there is reason to hope come late July, that Gustavsson’s at times worrying two-year tenure was finally closing in on its objective.