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Nigeria shocked the Matildas in Brisbane just over a fortnight ago and a sense of panic gripped the nation.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in the form of a home FIFA World Cup looked to be slipping through their grasp. An early exit loomed.

The same team will this weekend walk out on to the same pitch in Brisbane with players confident, the country buoyant and the chance to make history before them.

Should the Matildas defeat France in the World Cup quarter-final, they will have made their deepest ever run at the tournament and positioned themselves within two wins of football’s greatest prize.

The Matildas’ rejuvenation has been nothing short of remarkable.

Strained calves and concussions dominated headlines barely a week ago, while a pair of uncertain performances to open the tournament gave the rest of us an almighty headache.

Would Sam Kerr make it back? Limping heavily while watching the first game against Ireland from the bench, the world’s best striker improved to the point of walking freely for the Nigeria game. Behind the scenes, every possible recovery method was being employed to get Kerr back into her boots.

While this transpired, a stray pass at the end of training in Brisbane hit Mary Fowler in the head and ruled her out of the Nigeria game.

Anything that could have gone wrong, was.

It speaks volumes for the group, then, that those two major setbacks did not irreversibly unsettle the camp. While the rest of the nation fretted over the must-win clash in Melbourne against Olympic champions Canada, the Matildas camp were giving off a different vibe.

They were confident.

THE JOURNEY TO THIS POINT

The backs-to-the-wall scenario suited them perfectly.

Women’s football in Australia has fought against the odds for a very long time. All the way back to the 1970s, in fact, when the pioneers would sell lamingtons and host casino nights just to raise funds to play for Australia. The struggle was evident as recently as 2015, when the squad went on strike in search of a better pay deal from Football Australia.

Many of those players are in this World Cup squad.

Against Canada, the Australians walked the walk. The Matildas’ 4-0 destruction of the world’s No. 7 ranked nation was magnificent and it was backed up with a 2-0 banishment of Denmark in Sydney last Monday.

Under-siege coach Tony Gustavsson bore the brunt of the Nigeria loss, with his reluctance to use his bench at the centre of criticism. Some coaches would get stubborn and recalcitrant and double down on the initial plan. Gustavsson and his staff, to their credit, thought laterally and made tactical tweaks.

Caitlin Foord, blunted in a central role, was pushed wider to the wing, weaponising her speed, balance and skill. And Fowler, back after her concussion, was used in a central striker role, creatively picking apart the opposition with her once-in-a-generation artistry.

All across the pitch against Canada and Denmark, there have been players aiming up in the big moments. Clare Hunt, who hadn’t made her international debut until 2023 after seven surgeries over four years, has been a rock at the back alongside Alanna Kennedy, herself under an injury cloud all year.

Midfield duo Kyra Cooney-Cross and Katrina Gorry, the perfect mix of youth and experience, are relentless in pursuit of the ball, breaking up play and setting the strike-force of Fowler, Foord and Hayley Raso free.

A SOURCE OF NATIONAL INTRIGUE

Success over Canada and Denmark has reversed the nation’s trepidation, reflected in the record TV ratings across Channel 7 and Optus Sport and unprecedented coverage across all forms of media.

But it goes deeper than that. At water coolers and coffee shops, schoolyards and local parks around the country, everyone is talking about the Tillies. Kerr’s injury is a source of national intrigue, Fowler’s flair a source of national wonder. Football clubs across the land have moved their kick-off times to allow their players to watch.

Even rival codes like the AFL have adjusted their schedules, knowing hearts, minds and eyeballs will be transfixed on the world game in our backyard.

The long-term legacy of this World Cup on football in Australia isn’t immediately known but every available indicator suggests it will be transformational.

Let the suits make those calculations.

For now, take delight in the kids rocking up to games on the weekend in Mary Fowler gloves and Hayley Raso ribbons in their hair. Celebrate the fact we have a team truly worthy of the ‘role model’ tag. And rejoice in the moment women’s sport captivated the nation in ways it never has before.

The timing of the Matildas’ golden run could barely be better. Rising interest rates, cost of living pressures and natural disasters around the world have plunged many into a state of anxiety not felt since the pandemic.

But minds ease and brows unfurrow when the Tillies take the field. And for the 90 minutes that follow, we are free to cheer and unite and dream about a scenario the late, great Johnny Warren told us would one day happen.

Can they win the World Cup? Yes.

The two top-ranked teams in the world - the USA and Germany - are already out of the tournament and, of those that remain, the Matildas have enjoyed recent success against quite a few of them.

Should they advance to the final on Sunday week in Sydney, their method won’t change.

“The one thing this team is very good at is believing,” Gustavsson said after the Denmark win when asked if the Matildas can lift the World Cup.

“And the fans believe. Look at the fans in the stand today, when they do that together and they believe, the energy and the performances will be there, and from there we won’t just take it one game at a time, but one little moment at a time.

“That’s the focus right now.”

Which is a good thing.

Players and coaches can’t afford to get ahead of themselves.

Leave that to the rest of us.