Matildas left to rue slew of near misses against brave Nigerians

How does one best define the distance of a shot on goal from its desired target?

If Caitlin Foord misses by less than half a metre does that mean it “flashed” wide of the far post?

Ellie Carpenter looks on after the Matildas’ shock defeat on Thursday night.Credit: Getty

If Ellie Carpenter gets speculative from distance did the ball “glance” over the crossbar?

Or did it “kiss” the bar in the same way Emily van Egmond did from the top of the box?

Are there degrees of missing, when they are all misses? Are there also degrees of scoring?

Does it matter by how much van Egmond’s first-half finish evades the Nigeria goalkeeper’s outstretched gloves if it does indeed evade them and tucks inside the far post?

Or that Uchenna Kanu poked her equaliser in off a deflection? Does it matter if, by half-time, Australia have 12 shots and Nigeria only have three, if the score is 1-1?

And are full-time statistics of 28 shots to 11 even relevant if Osinachi Ohale has travelled with the offcuts of a second-half corner into the back of Australia’s net, and Asisat Oshoala has come off the bench and caught Mackenzie Arnold off her line?

Thirty FIFA rankings places separate the Matildas and Nigeria, but rankings are pointless if the pace is breakneck and everyone is taking a swing. And it is all very well to measure centimetres and ratios and aesthetically pleasing gilt-edged chances when this African nation are getting all Bonnie and Clyde on the home favourites.

Burgling Foord at the byline and fleecing Carpenter when she had it all under control. Swarming the Matildas like bees every time they took one too many touches.

Before this match, Steph Catley said they would have to move the ball fast against this team, one which has already held Olympic gold medallists Canada to a draw this tournament and now appears well and truly in the frame to make it out of this remarkably challenging group.

Both Catley and coach Tony Gustavsson had talked about Nigeria’s strength in transition, and also Australia’s strength in transition. But when both teams play their best football in transition it can be difficult to keep track of what is what. Sometimes it’ll be a run that’s quicker than the rest.

A scream from Toni Payne as she darts through midfield, searching for support. It could be Cortnee Vine leaving a defender for dead and then smiling her way through a concussion test (not another one!), or Hayley Raso and then daylight and then Ashleigh Plumptre.

And then, as the minutes wind down and Gustavsson finally makes a substitution – an age after Nigeria coach Randy Waldrum has already made four – Clare Polkinghorne replacing Vine and turning Australia’s attack into defence right when they need not one, but two goals.

Are there degrees of insanity as well? Or, if everyone is suddenly smacking long balls to Alanna Kennedy, are central defenders the new strikers?

Gustavsson, with his ubiquitous headset, must have heard something from his “eyes in the sky” (the staffer in the stands), because he sent Alex Chidiac on soon after that. But, with four minutes of regulation time remaining, Chidiac only had time to “flash” wide before Gustavsson looks to the heavens once more.

Clearly, nobody else inside Suncorp Stadium had any better ideas. Not even prime minister Anthony Albanese, watching from his seat, could backdoor diplomacy Australia’s way out of this one. The crowd swelled and then hushed, spilled their nerves down their fronts and cleaned themselves up. A man held a baby aloft – a sacrifice to the football gods.

The curses of Nigerian fans lit up the big screen as 11 minutes of additional time were announced. And Kennedy – that new No.9 – scored a consolation. When the final whistle sounded the score was 3-2, and nobody will remember how close some of those misses came.