Incredible moment Sam Kerr throws Australia’s happiest football fan the shirt off her back after helping the Matildas beat France: ‘It means everything to her’
- Fan got memories of his life with superstar striker
- Kerr handed her sweater to the adoring young onlooker
- The Matildas won their quarter-final against France
Sam Kerr showed off her class off the pitch by handing her shirt to a young spectator following Matildas’ epic victory over France in the Women’s World Cup on Saturday night.
The Aussies won the blood-curdling game against France 7-6 on penalties in the longest shootout in the history of any World Cup tournament.
Goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold made three saves before Cortnee Vine converted the winning penalty to seal victory in front of 49,461 screaming fans and send the Matildas through to their first Cup semi-final.
Kerr, who was battling an injury throughout the tournament, came off the bench in the 55th minute to convert her spot kick into the penalty shootout.
After celebrating the historic victory with teammates, Kerr was caught on camera walking into the stands and handing her shirt to a young spectator.
Kerr came off the bench in the 55th minute and converted her penalty in the shootout
The girl was over the moon with the gift from the Australian superstar and couldn’t stop smiling.
Sam Kerr gave her shirt to a fan. Can you imagine being that child?’ said Optus Sport’s Amy Duggan.
American football star Jess McDonald replied, “Those are some of the best moments for kids. When equipment is handed down by the best players in the world and there’s no one better than Sam Kerr.”
Viewers also loved the touching moment.
“That’s great,” one Twitter user wrote. “That little girl will remember that moment all her life. She looks so excited. Love it.’
“Her face, it means everything to her,” said another.
Kerr was also caught by cameras having a quiet moment to himself after the dramatic end of the match.
“After the game, when everyone was celebrating, I just took a moment to myself on the couch,” Kerr told Channel 7, before explaining why she needed some time to let it all sink in.
Kerr said after the festivities that she needed a moment to herself to process it all
Kerr said the side were “oddly calm” during the dramatic penalty shootout
“We kept saying we couldn’t believe it. We grew up together, us girls, and we always talked about this and knew we could do it.
“We just fell short (earlier) so I think the fact that we’ve now reached a semi-final in a World Cup has shocked us all so much.
“Oh my god, I just can’t believe it.”
Kerr went on to explain how the team kept their spirits up during the shootout.
“Weirdly enough, it was super quiet because we had such a process,” Kerr told Channel 7.
“Of course it’s stressful on the outside. But we were all very calm and we had so much confidence in (goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold).
“We’ve been doing that all week, all month really. The process we went through just kept us really calm.
“At the most stressful moment, it was actually quite calm.”
The Matildas will face England in the semi-final at Stadium Australia in Sydney on Wednesday.