Sam Kerr finally reveals what Matildas’ plan for her injured calf was all along – as Tony Gustavsson explains why benching her against France was the right decision

Sam Kerr is back.

The next question is whether the Australian superstar will start against England in the Matildas’ Women’s World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.

Neither Sam Kerr nor coach Tony Gustavsson answered that burning question after the captain played 65 minutes as a substitute and converted her penalty in the penalty shootout that secured Saturday’s quarter-final victory over France.

But it will now have to be seriously considered.

Could Kerr have started against France on Saturday night?

“I mean, that’s kind of like the million-dollar question, right?” Kerr responded.

Gustavsson and captain Kerr all smiled after the game, but the coach later admitted he was concerned about his star’s ability to get through a long period of play.

Kerr showed great poise as she drew Australia at 3-3 in the penalty shootout

“But with everything going on, the best thing for today was the plan we did and the plan we followed and when I hurt my calf the plan was to always be ready for the semis.

“So I could have started, but who knows what could have happened? The girls crushed it and absolutely dominated it, so I think the plan worked out pretty well.”

Coach Tony Gustavsson added, “Leaving her on the bench was a huge decision for the game. Then it was about the timing. You want to get the timing right.

“I was told she had a limited number of minutes today. Then we had to take extra time into account. What is the risk of her calf pulling and how many minutes does she actually have?

“That was a huge decision to get that right. I think we got it right and should have scored. We had them, but when Sam came along, we really had them on the hook.”

Kerr’s journey since her calf injury on July 19, the eve of their World Cup opener, has been a roller coaster.

Her teammates fared much better in her absence, allowing Kerr to recover and then play a brief cameo against Denmark, before facing France.

“I knew I’d be back on the field because I would have played with one calf if it should have happened, but I’m just happy to be back on the field and the girls are smashing it and we’re doing well, with the land behind us here,’ she said.

Kerr (20) was heavily scarred and knocked down several times but came through her 65-minute stint unscathed – now the big question is: will she start against England?

‘I was ready to go. But we had a plan this whole tournament and we had to stick to it.’

Kerr changed the game when she came on in the 55th minute, and then got up in the penalty shootout, wiping memories of a penalty kick in the stands against Norway in a round of 16 loss four years ago.

Trailing Australia 2-3 in Saturday’s shootout, Kerr stepped up and converted.

“During the last World Cup I just went away from my routine and what I was doing and what I was missing,” she said.

“So this time it was all about confidence and putting it where I normally do.”