Olympic heartbreak the making of Alanna Kennedy
Alanna Kennedy admits missing the penalty that knocked the Matildas out of the Rio Olympics was “worst thing that had ever happened to me”. But that agonising memory has proved a blessing in disguise for Australia.
It’s been three years since Alanna Kennedy almost felt the ground disappear beneath her.
There she stood in Belo Horizonte lining up a penalty, knowing a misfire would end it all for the Matildas one measly kick away from a historic Olympic semi-final.
Australia were down 7-6 in the penalty shootout and their central defensive rock, then 21, was carrying the weight of a nation.
A few seconds later, 60,000 Brazil fans had dissolved into a mass of frenzied delirium.
For all Kennedy knew, every bit of air might have been sucked out of Estadio Mineirao after her shot was saved.
The tears arrived only slightly ahead of a consoling Sam Kerr, and then the rest of the team.
Penalty shootouts always suck for someone, no matter how good a player you are.
“At the time it was the worst thing that had ever happened to me,” Kennedy told The Daily Telegraph.
“Now, looking back on it, we’ve had penalty shootouts and players have missed and we’ve lost.
“I think just the magnitude of the situation and it being an Olympics made it horrible.
“No one really asked me for it for a long time, I feel like it was just avoided.”
There had been other moments during those tense, tightly wound and goalless 120 minutes where the game could have been won and lost well before Kennedy stepped up to the plate.
In the shootout alone, Marta and Katrina Gorry’s efforts had already been saved.
And Brazil’s goalkeeper Barbara was getting away with murder, moving early off her line almost every time.
Kennedy, now 24 and an established world-class centre-back, watched the replay for the first time about three months ago.
“I wasn’t avoiding it necessarily; it just really didn’t come up. I think people were avoiding it for me … which is fine,” she said.
“I didn’t feel the need to watch it. I can remember it in my head so I didn’t need to see it.
“But it happens to the best players. At some point the penalty shootout has to end.
“I did a breakdown of that a while back and what it taught me the most was that I don’t want to go to penalties.
“I’ve got do as much as I can in the game to not let them score so we don’t end up in that situation. But if we do I’m ready to take another one.”
Kennedy hasn’t taken a single penalty for club or country since.
But she has played Brazil, and exacted a sort of vengeance by beating them every time, including that 6-1 Tournament of Nations thrashing two years ago.
The rivalry has exploded since the last Women’s World Cup, when Kyah Simon scored to send the Matildas through to the quarter-finals - the first-ever knockout-stage World Cup win by a senior Australian team, male or female.
At the time, it was a major upset.
Four years later in France, the Canarinhas are the less fancied and that’s before considering that Marta is coming back from injury and no guarantee to play on Friday morning (AEST) in Montpellier.
The six-time FIFA world player of the year is also Kennedy’s Orlando Pride teammate and “one of the best people I know”.
“She’s so humble,” Kennedy said. “On the field we have quite a young team so I have quite a lot of communication with her. We have a good relationship, but that doesn’t matter when we’re on the field playing against each other.”
HOW THE RIVALRIES ERUPTED
KYAH CREATES HISTORY - Brazil 0-1 Australia (22/06/15)
Kyah Simon came off the bench to cause the biggest boilover of the 2015 World Cup in Canada. After 80 minutes of labouring in cold and damp conditions, Katrina Gorry released Lisa De Vanna, whose shot was fumbled by goalkeeper Luciana into the path of Simon. She blazed to the back post and side-footed into the open net. It marked Australia’s first tournament win over Brazil and the first knockout win for any Australian senior team.
OLYMPIC DREAMS DASHED - Brazil 0-0 (7-6) Australia (13/08/16)
The Matildas made a gut-wrenching Rio Olympics quarter-finals exit in a penalty shootout clouded in controversy. Brazil goalkeeper Barbara left her line early when saving Gorry and Alanna Kennedy’s spot-kicks. Matildas goalkeeper Lydia Williams also pulled off a stunner to deny Brazil’s now six-time world player of the year Marta. But a semi-final against Sweden wasn’t to be, and the stage was set for revenge.
CRUISE CONTROL - Australia 6-1 Brazil (04/08/17)
It came via a rout that sealed Australia’s Tournament of Nations crown. Lisa de Vanna and Caitlin Foord scored a brace each in Los Angeles while Gorry and Sam Kerr added the extras to deliver Brazil their heaviest defeat since their 6-0 loss to the United States in 1999. Solid in defence and clinical in attack, this was the Matildas at the peak of their powers.
CEMENTING THE STATUS - Australia 3-2 Brazil (19/09/17)
Kerr announced herself as a force to be feared by any team, scoring twice and setting up another in Newcastle to cancel Fabiana’s opener and a late Marta penalty. It came three days after Australia’s 2-1 triumph over the Canarinhas in Penrith and marked 17 years to the day since Brazil beat Australia 2-1 at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. It was Alen Stajcic’s side’s third-straight triumph over the South American powerhouse and their fifth successive victory to equal their longest winning streak.
REINFORCING SUPREMACY - Brazil 1-3 Australia (27/07/18)
The Matildas kicked off their Tournament of Nations defence against the old enemy. Brazil had been unbeaten in their past 12 outings since that night in Newcastle, but Australia stopped the party. Elise Kellond-Knight forced an own goal before Tameka Butt capitalised on another KK corner and Kerr iced the cake with a rasping roof-of-the-net finish. By the time Debinha had scored a consolation 15-year-old Mary Fowler was already warming up for her international debut.
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