Matildas-mania as fans reach fever pitch at Melbourne’s Federation Square over team’s ‘wild’ win
Matildas’ fans gathered at Federation Square reached fever pitch at the team’s penalty shootout win on Saturday, saying it was a night to remember.
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It was the roar heard right around our state.
The moment Cortnee Vine struck the winning goal to send the Matildas into the World Cup semi-finals, tens of thousands of Victorians rose as one – in bars, in lounge rooms, in the street.
Mums, dads, kids – this was a moment of true national pride.
Federation Square was a sea of green and gold as fans braved the winter elements to watch their heroes defeat France 7-6 in a nailbiting penalty shootout.
Chants of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi” rang out as the reality of the Matildas’ achievement sunk in.
Pamo Boutros, 30, said the win was incredible. “It’s exhilarating, it’s empowering,” she said.
“It’s the year of the underdog, we can go all the way.”
Ryder Mistry, 18, said he was “shocked”. “I can’t believe we’ve won,” he said.
Rod Laver Arena also welcomed fans, who were greeted by a green and gold light show, while the MCG aired the game for Melbourne and Carlton fans until the 90-minute mark.
In the heart of the city, the gloomy weather did not dampen the Matilda-mania as the massive crowds screamed for the girls who dared to dream.
The sound of drums echoed across Fed Square, pierced by resounding cheers as a group of fans set off flares – flashes of orange among the green and gold.
Many were set off during the tense penalty shootout, with police and security using force to remove some fans.
Alia Morgan, 17, said the “Tillies” gave young girls “something to aim for”.
“In the past, there wasn’t much support for young women in sport,” she said.
“A lot of clubs didn’t even have female teams, which was off-putting, so it’s awesome to see everyone getting around the Matildas and encouraging girls to get involved in sport.”
Sara-Leigh Derbyshire, 16, said the atmosphere was “absolutely amazing”.
“Despite the rain, everyone is still out here supporting the Matildas,” she said.
“In previous years, there wouldn’t have been as many people supporting women’s soccer.”
Emily Bijoux, 15, described it as one of the best atmospheres she had ever experienced in her life.
Donna Ahmed, 36, said the vibe was “wild”.
“It’s probably the biggest atmosphere I’ve seen here so far throughout the World Cup,” she said.
Lydia Bell, 25, said it was great for women’s sport to get the recognition and “praise they deserve”.
“We’ve stayed in here in the rain because it means so much to us,” she said.
Georgia Groidis, 15, said it was incredible what the Matildas were able to achieve.
“It’s so great to see how far women’s football has come in the past few years,” she said.
“They are really inspiring our generation, and so many girls want to play soccer because of them, and they have created so many opportunities for girls to have a career in football. “It really inspires me to try to become a Matilda one day.”
Mum-of-two Jasmin Trabanino said the Matildas had had a massive influence on her two young daughters.
“It means a lot,” she said.
“It means they can see girls out there that can do it and can embrace that.
“My girls in particular have loved the soccer season and girls having the potential to be up there, just like men.”
Jamilah Ramic, 11, plays for Keilor Park, and said she aspired to be like Sam Kerr and Kyra Cooney-Cross.
“I want to become a Matilda,” she said.
Shylah Balla, 16, said she looked up to Ellie Carpenter.
“It was incredible that it only took her six months to recover from a pretty serious injury,” she said.
“I’ve had serious injuries like that so I look up to her speedy recovery as inspiration.”
Her mother, Lindi Balla, said it was great for young girls to see their heroes in action.
“It’s opened up the world to women’s soccer and given our girls an opportunity to aspire towards what they are passionate about,” she said.
Alyshia Williamson, 27, said it was great to see the organisers respect the Indigenous Australians too.
“It’s amazing that the FIFA Women’s World Cup are acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land, that’s never been done in Australian sport before,” she said.
“In the past, it’s been very tokenistic in the way they include the traditional custodians of the land but this time, we’ve done it right by integrating the First Nations voice.”
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