The first Australian to make a hat-truth in a junior Women’s Welt Cup was the Sam Kerr Show in Grenoble when the Matildas ‘ forward star. Kerr finished the evening with the four objectives when Australia beat Jamaica’s debutants 4-1. All Kerr’s objectives were crucial as Australia put Brazil second in Group C due to its superior target distinction. After losing all three team games, Jamaica will head back, but after winning its first World Cup objective they can keep their heads high. Havana Solaun will long live in the history of Jamaican soccer with the end from Khadija Shaw’s help.

“That’s the kind of team we are. That’s a classic Sam move. She’s an inspirational leader. We should be thankful we’re witnessing one of the best players in the world live. She got her rewards and fully deserved it. She’s a special one. I’m delighted for her. It’s history. All of the accolades must go to her but also the service she got from the rest of the team.”
Milicic on Kerr’s fourth goal

Karly Roestbakken, 18 years old, said she loves the World Cup experience. She had never performed global football five days earlier, and she assisted the Matildas gain a place in a round of 16 just two weeks into her place in the squad.

It was another Australian blended performance that much reflected their opener against Italy. The solid first attack generated two objectives, but, with their defensive constraints exposed, the Matildas again lost their momentum. In Tameka Yallop and Clare Polkinghorne there was a lot of knowledge lacking, and they believe they will have that expertise in the last sixteen years.

“We can’t stop saying how resilient this group is. We kept playing and believing in ourselves. A lot of the things we fixed during this World Cup are things we need to be fixing before the World Cup. We know we can come out and compete with these teams. We just need to get more of these type of games before we get to the World Cup. The main takeaway is that we can compete at this level. We just gave up some silly goals that we know we can fix. We’re going to keep developing players to come back to this stage, and that’s what’s important for us in the next four years.”
Hue Menzies, Jamaica head coach

This was one of the novels of history. In their historic debut, Jamaica received a consolation objective and Australia lastly defeated a Concacaf rival. The Reggae Girlz performed well and generated many opportunities. It was a gully performance. But their completion was discovered to be desirable. The defense was reasonable, but it did not provide stress, sufficient coverage and equilibrium. Kerr was running wild and free and now has four objectives. The Reggae Girlz nevertheless showed everything a lot better than their past matches. When the squad returns to Jamaica, you can keep your head high knowing you’ve done your utmost for the challenge. Tonight, the Reggae Girlz played in their lives in a spectacle that held the Matildas on their heads with a gutty performance.

It was a historic night in Grenoble on many fronts. Sam Kerr reports by becoming the first Australian to achieve a top trick at the World Cup and by shattering her country’s single World Cup scoring record. On the other hand, Jamaica leaves France comfortably as it achieved its first Havana Solaun Women’s World Cup objective.

Image: Kane Oosty/FIFA