Stunning statistic proves Katrina Gorry’s incredible value for the Matildas ahead of Australia’s crucial World Cup match against France

The Matildas’ bid to reach a first ever World Cup semi-final will depend on their fitness and stamina, with Katrina Gorry once again poised to play a vital role.

Australia will face France in Brisbane on Saturday afternoon with a spot in the berth semi-final, arriving in the clash with high levels of lactic acid in their legs.

According to data from FIFA and OPTA, five Matildas players have so far covered an average of more than 10.7 kilometers in each of the first four World Cup matches.

Gorry tops the list with an average of 10.95km, followed by Mary Fowler at 10.93km – over three races – and Kyra Cooney-Cross at 10.89km.

Steph Catley and Caitilin Foord round out the top five with averages of 10.79km and 10.71km respectively.

Gorry also tops the Matildas list for tackles won and is in the top three for shots attempted, passes and chances created

Fowler has covered the greatest distance in a single match of any Matilda at the World Cup to date, running 11.7km in Canada’s 4-0 defeat on July 31.

In contrast, no French player averages more than Elise de Almeida’s 9.83 km per game, with only three other players averaging more than 9 km per game.

Gorry also tops the Matildas list in tackles won and is in the top three for shots attempted, passes and chances created.

With 15, only Foord has had more shots than Gorry’s eight, while Emily Van Egmond is the only player to have created more chances than Matildas’ dynamo in midfield – seven to four, a number shared with Foord and Ellie Carpenter.

That the Matildas have more miles in their legs is a direct result of the fact that they spend far more minutes on the field than their French counterparts.

Despite injuries to key players, Gustavsson has kept rotation to a minimum so far in the tournament, featuring just 17 Matildas.

Three of them – Alex Chidiac, Charlotte Grant and Tameka Yallop – played for a total of seven minutes, while Sam Kerr played just ten minutes against Denmark as she recovered from the calf injury that kept her out of the group stage.

Alanna Kennedy, Clare Hunt, Carpenter, Cooney-Cross and Catley have played every minute of the Matildas’ World Cup campaign so far, with Gorry and Foord playing 359 minutes each and Harvey Raso playing 330 minutes.

The picture is significantly different for France, with goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin the only player on the pitch for every minute of the tournament.

With 329 and 315 minutes respectively, Kadidiatou Diani and Grace Geyoro are the only two French players to have been on the field for more than 300 minutes at this World Cup.

Mary Fowler has covered the greatest distance in a single match of any Matilda at the World Cup to date, running 11.7km in Canada’s 4-0 defeat

Pauline Peyraud-Magnin is the only French player to have played every minute of the World Cup so far

Australia has never made it to the semi-finals of a World Cup and will break new ground if they beat France.

France was eliminated in the quarterfinals hosting the 2019 tournament by a US champion team with Gustavsson assisting then-coach Jill Ellis.

France manager Herve Renard noted this week that the pressure on Australia as co-hosts will be on Saturday.

The match will draw large crowds to Lang Park and will be broadcast live on free-to-air TV from coast to coast.

Thousands of fans will flock to live venues in Australia’s major cities, while crowds coming to watch AFL matches in Sydney and Melbourne will be able to see the Matildas on big screens in the stadiums.