By Emma Kemp
If loud and plentiful home crowds are any indicator, the Matildas already have a very public edge over France.
But they also have a secret weapon behind the scenes with intimate knowledge of their quarter-final opponents - because she plays with them in club land.
Ellie Carpenter has been playing for European giants Lyon for three years and is a teammate of several French stars at this World Cup.
Before Australia played - and beat - France in a friendly last month, Carpenter predicted Herve Renard’s national team would make at least the top four. Now the right-back is fighting that very team for a spot in the top four.
“Obviously it’s a quarter-final, but playing against half my teammates, it gives me a little bit more insight,” Carpenter said.
“I know the players very well and I think tomorrow’s going to be a great game, a great battle, especially on the right-hand side for me - left-hand side for France.
Ellie Carpenter shows journalists her manicured green and gold nails in Australia’s press conference before their World Cup quarter-final against France.Credit: Reuters
“They’re dominant on that side [with] world-class players. So I’m really looking forward to the battle, especially against Selma [Bacha]. She’s a great player and I train with her every day.”
Bacha, who plays most often on the left wing for France, is not the only one with whom Carpenter has club links. There’s also Kadidiatou Diani, who has already scored four goals this tournament and is part of an attack also featuring Lyon and France great Eugenie Le Sommer.
Ellie Carpenter and Eugenie Le Sommer at a Lyon training session.Credit: Getty
There’s also captain and defender Wendie Renard, and Vicki Becho, and many others she has played against in Division 1 Feminine.
France have built into this tournament, starting the group stage with a shaky stalemate against Jamaica before beating Brazil 2-1 and carving up Panama 6-3, then hammering Morocco 4-0 in the round of 16.
At Friday’s pre-match press conference, Carpenter took questions in French from international journalists. About her club teammates and the Matildas, and how far women’s football in Australia has come.
The 23-year-old - much like France - has grown into this World Cup, her performances improving with every match. It has not gone unnoticed by Le Sommer.
“She’s a player who runs a lot,” said Le Sommer. “She brings a lot of intensity to the game. She goes fast. She likes to tackle and likes to go forward.
“I know her well for a few years now. We have a good time together. She’s a great girl. She’s always smiling - she has a very good mood. She’s also a little bit crazy.”
The feeling is mutual.
“They’ve been playing great the last couple of games,” Carpenter said. “Diani is in great form, with her goals and assisting. For us, it’s about sticking to our game plan. We know the job we need to do tomorrow, myself and the back line, and the whole team really.
“We know it’s will be a tough game. It’s not going to be easy. There’s going to be times where they have the ball, there’s going to be times when we have the ball. It’s just about staying in the moment, staying focused the whole 90 minutes.”
The two sides were separated only by a Mary Fowler goal in Australia’s pre-tournament friendly win in Melbourne.
In the build-up to this rematch with far more at stake, France in particular have dismissed that result’s importance out of hand, while the Matildas have said they learned a lot in terms of tactics and formation.
Carpenter had a more pragmatic take.
“Yes, we beat them three weeks ago,” she said. “[But] it’s going to be a completely different game. Yes, we have that mentally over them, but tomorrow all that is out the window.
“We know they’re going to show their toughest team. We know the strengths or weaknesses they have.”
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