Shooting star

Scoreline - September 23, 2007
Norway: 1
Herlovsen 32'
China: 0

With the forces of inestimable darkness moving on to the semis, there was one last hope for a surprise entrant - Australia.

Yes, they were up against Brazil - who had yet to even concede a goal in the tournament - but Brazil has a history of beating themselves. Things go well, they rout the opposition. Things go bad, an unlucky goal or goalkeeping mistake and they might just implode.

This is what I consoled myself with, since after watching Australia - I wanted to see a lot more of this team. You could forgive them for being glad to be here, but they were anything but a tourist team. They'd had bad luck, and fought back multiple times. I was hoping they'd catch a break.

Well, bang goes that theory.

Scoreline - September 23, 2007
Brazil: 3
Formiga 4'; Marta 23' pen; Cristiane 75'
Australia: 2
De Vanna 36'; Colthorpe 68'

It was still a helluva game. Australia had every reason to curl up and die - allowing a goal in the fourth minute, having their captain subbed out for injury in the 20th minute, a second goal on a BS penalty just three minutes after that.

Really, most teams would have packed it in and just waited for the clock to run out.

Not the Aussies, and hat's off to them in every respect. They played hard and did more than anyone to frustrate Brazil's usual playing style. There were no slashing runs through hapless defenders - Brazil had to shoot from downtown, or luck into a penalty.

Being Brazil, they scored on the chances they were given, but I think even they'd admit this was a hard match for them.

Exhibit A is Lisa De Vanna:
What a performance. She intercepts a weak crossing pass in front of the Brazilian goal and streaks past the keeper to bring her team within one.

Her team tied the score with a long range header that looked fated to happen - because there was no way anyone would have given odds on that play happening.

Brazil goes ahead on another amazing distance shot by Cristiane, but De Vanna and Walsh were going forward almost right after the restart.

They came within a whisker of tying the match in the 85th minute. De Vanna catches a long pass in stride, bowls over a defender and sprints past another in less time that it takes to say it. Brazil's keeper is coming out, there's one defender in her way, so she passes to Walsh for the easy shot -

- and Walsh gets LEVELED inside the box. Literally sent flying by a two footed tackle. No penalty, and when Caitlin Munoz tries to scrap for the loose ball, she collides with a defender and is given a yellow card.

There was no replay on the world feed, and on TiVo all I can see is the ball disappearing behind the Brazillian defender's legs. If she got the ball, it's a brilliant tackle in the penalty box - otherwise it's just another reason to think that the Aussies got robbed.

The Matildas go home and the US gets Brazil - I guess this spares me having to watch the US beat the Aussies, but damn- I would have loved to see De Vanna play in a third place match.

She's amazing. Guts, speed and a killer instinct for goal.

I wish she were ours.