MATILDAS PLAYER RATINGS: Sam Kerr affirms himself as the best footballer in the world, but it was a night to forget for Ellie Carpenter and Caitlin Foord after Australia’s heartbreaking defeat to England at the World Cup
- Australia suffered heartbreak in the semi-final against England
- The Matildas were surpassed by the Lionesses in Sydney
- Daily Mail Australia rates and ranks the Tillies players
Here are Daily Mail Australia’s player ratings for Matildas’ defeat to England at the World Cup.
Mackenzie Arnold: 6
Perhaps the only player to be heard over the 75,000 strong crowd at Stadium Australia. She was an authoritative presence between the sticks, made good saves off Georgia Stanway and couldn’t be faulted for any of England’s goals.
Ellie Carpenter: 3
At the highest level, most mistakes are eventually punished and unfortunately for Ellie Carpenter, her indecisiveness cost Australia just as they had their foot on England’s throat.
Her dawdling on the ball allowed Lauren Hemp to pounce and put the tie to bed for England.
Ellie Carpenter had a night to forget when she made a crucial mistake in the second half
Clare Hunt: 4
Allow Hemp to waltz into the box for the first goal and looked less stable without her usual centre-back Alanna Kennedy. Not her best night.
Clare Polkinghorne: 5
A surprise selection after Kennedy fell ill and couldn’t match her teammate’s performance at the back.
Steve Catley: 5
Has been a constant threat on the left throughout the tournament, but was canceled out by England’s stubborn defence. Lost the captaincy to Kerr and failed to match her confident displays on the left side.
Hayley Raso: 6
Was kept quiet throughout but had a great chance from an Australian corner which was stopped by Lucy Bronze. Couldn’t get into her typical rhythm tonight.
Katrina Gorry and Caitlin Foord could not influence the match
Katrina Gorry: 5
Covered an incredible amount of ground this tournament but wasn’t wary of following Ella Toone’s run for England’s first goal. 100th game ends in tears.
Kyra Cooney-Cross: 6
Started slow, but showed good footwork to combine with Carpenter, as the latter created a good chance from Raso in the first half. Dropped back to the right in the dying minutes as Australia looked for a late equaliser.
Caitlin Ford: 4
Completely knocked out by the imperious Lucy Bronze. Failed to capitalize on a wonderful cross from Mary Fowler, with her weak header not interfering with Mary Earps.
Sam Kerr: 8
The undisputed best player in the world. It may not have been her night, but she set up one of the greatest goals in World Cup history with that stunning effort to level the scores.
Sam Kerr established himself as the best football player in the world with her stunning shot
But she missed two big chances to keep Australia in the game
However, she turned down two glorious chances to put Australia back in the game. She knows that at this level those chances are eventually punished and they were duly done by Hemp and Alessia Russo.
Mary Fowler: 5
She cannot find joy between England’s defensive lines and midfield as she has been able to do all the tournaments. Drifted in some good crosses but presented no real, sustained threat.
Tony Gustavsson: 5
Didn’t react quickly enough to England’s physical tactics in the first half, nor was he able to solve the tactical conundrum that limited his wide players. He’s had better nights in the dugout.