Matildas v France: Australia face a formidable, but beatable, foe in historic World Cup quarter-final showdown

The Matildas beat France on the eve of this World Cup but, writes ADAM PEACOCK, much has changed since then.

Australia and France are clashing in a World Cup quarter-final, having squared off against each other in a warm-up game for the tournament. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

It is tempting to view the July 14 friendly between the Matildas and France, won 1-0 by Australia courtesy of a Mary Fowler goal, as a formguide of sorts for their World Cup quarter-final rematch this Saturday.

Tempting, but flawed.

For starters, France had just arrived in the country. And coach Herve Renard had only been in the job for three months after a damaging player strike, which counted captain Wendie Renard among its members, ultimately toppled his predecessor Corinne Diacre.

Herve Renard stated that, had he been in charge earlier, he would not have organised a game against Australia, his potential quarter-final opponents. Alas, the fixture had already been confirmed and the Matildas encountered the world No. 5 at a rare point of vulnerability.

Much has changed since.

France has pivoted its formation from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2 with Eugenie Le Sommer and Kadidiatou Diani, both teammates of Ellie Carpenter at Lyon, used as the two strikers. And since a clunky first up draw with Jamaica, the French have defeated No. 8 ranked Brazil and scored a combined ten goals in victories over Panama and Morocco.

Australia must find a way to curb the influence of Eugenie Le Sommer. Picture: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

It is Le Sommer, in particular, the Matildas must negate.

Sharply intelligent, the 34-year-old is as effective scoring as she is providing. The Matildas were surprised with how Denmark applied pressure in the opening stages last Monday and, on a number of occasions, their creative wizard Pernille Harder nearly profited. Australia cannot afford to give Le Sommer the same latitude.

As for the Matildas, the threat posed by Caitlin Foord has grown as the tournament has progressed. But, like a cyclone, it’s one thing to be prepared and quite another to avoid its destructive path when confronted by it.

France will have a plan to pressurise supply from either Katrina Gorry or Kyra Cooney-Cross in the middle or Steph Catley at left back. The organisation of France’s defensive press when the Matildas are building up will be a fascinating subplot.

There were stages at Marvel Stadium on July 14 when France allowed the Matildas to pass along their backline to either Carpenter or Catley, which served as the trigger for the French midfielders to step up.

Both sides, though, have made changes since that clash in Melbourne.

Because of Kerr’s injury, the Matildas switched to a 4-3-3 with Emily van Egmond playing in behind the central striker Fowler. France, meanwhile, has moved away from a 4-3-3 to base their attacking game around two central strikers, although their 4-4-2 is a fluid set up.

The Matildas are playing their first World Cup quarter-final since losing to Japan in 2015. Picture: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

France has gradually gathered pace during the tournament however their last two wins – 6-3 over Panama and 4-0 over Morocco – were not against the strongest of opponents. Morocco, in particular, were poor defensively in the penalty area; a brief Alanna Kennedy and Clare Hunt have nailed at this tournament.

In addition, France is not without its injury concerns with talented youngsters Selma Bacha (ankle) and Maelle Lakrar (quad) in some degree of doubt. The Australians, clearly, know all about injuries at this tournament, although Sam Kerr’s return in the closing minutes of the Denmark game can only be seen as encouraging.

Generations of planning and dreaming have come down to this. @TheMatildas stand three wins away from sport's greatest prize.@adampeacock3 maps their path to @FIFAWWC glory. https://t.co/7qTVeCPxFz

— CODE Football (@codefootballau) August 9, 2023

So, it will come down to flashes of brilliance, as was the case in Australia’s 2-0 win over Denmark when Fowler, Foord and van Egmond came up with moments of ingenuity to change the game in a blink.

Neither nation has history to lean on at this moment. The Australians have not progressed past the quarter-finals while France, despite its best players dominating on the club scene with Lyon for a decade, has only been to the semi-finals once, way back in 2011.

The past is an overrated aspect, anyway.

Both sides are clearly living in the present, second by second, in a happy place ahead of the biggest match of their lives.

Originally published as Matildas v France: Australia face a formidable, but beatable, foe in historic World Cup quarter-final showdown