Title : The Matildas were hard done by, but it's hard to say they were robbed
link : The Matildas were hard done by, but it's hard to say they were robbed
The Matildas were hard done by, but it's hard to say they were robbed
The Matildas are out of the Women's World Cup after a 4-1 penalty shoot-out loss to Norway in the Round of 16, but they can justifiably feel aggrieved at the refereeing in the game.
Had all the 50-50 decisions not gone against them, they may well have booked a ticket to the quarter-finals.
"I'm not surprised because the refereeing has been questionable the whole tournament," red-card recipient Alanna Kennedy said.
"In terms of the rules and the decisions I think there needs to be more clarity around it, for everyone."
Here are the big calls by referee Riem Hussein and her team that went against the Australians in the dramatic and controversial encounter.
Kennedy's red card
The most controversial of controversies in this match was undoubtedly Alanna Kennedy's red card.
A red card is automatically awarded to a player who obstructs another that would have otherwise had a clear chance on goal. The rule draws a clear distinction between obstructing the ball (allowed) and obstructing the player (not allowed), however the line between whether a goal was imminent or not is less defined.
In Kennedy's instance, she clearly pulled on Norwegian attacker Lisa-Marie Utland's jersey and obstructed her run, but there were serious doubts over whether the Norwegian would have gotten a foot to the ball it before goalkeeper Lydia Williams picked it up anyway.
Was Kennedy's shirt pulling worthy of a foul? Definitely. Red card? Not so much.
Kerr and Yallop taken down in the box
You might assume Kennedy's red card suggested that the referee was stern when it comes to fouls, but Sam Kerr and Tameka Yallop would disagree.
With the score level in the 90th minute, a cross from Emily Van Egmond missed Kerr's head in the box, leaving her up in arms about a shove in the back throwing her off.
The referee dismissed it, and the complaint never made it to the VAR.
Yallop's situation was a little more escalated. In the thick of the action in the box, she went down as she attempted to score, her foot twisted between both legs of defender Ingrid Syrstad, and stayed down for a significant amount of time.
The ref deferred to the VAR, but no penalty was awarded.
In both situations, a potential goal was denied due to obstructions to the strikers, but the referees put it down to heavy defending.
Handball overlooked
In hindsight, an indicator for what the match would become was the potential handball just before half time. A long ball into the box was cleared by Maria Thorisdottir, who used her shoulder to deflect it. The ref blew the whistle and pointed to the spot, but deferred to the VAR for a second opinion.
The VAR ruled it not a handball, so instead of Kerr taking a penalty, the ball was dropped and play resumed.
The controversy comes from the position of Thorisdottir's arms.
Players defending inside the box will often hold their arms behind their backs, or crossed in front of their chests to avoid accidental handballs. It's instinct for players on the international stage.
Thorisdottir's arms were almost at a 'T', which led some to conclude that, had her arms been by her side, she would not have gotten to the ball and Caitlin Foord would have had a chance to score for Australia.
Ultimately, they weren't good enough
The Matildas may have a series of valid complaints about the refereeing in the Norway loss, but you would have to be a very one-eyed Australia fan to argue it cost them a chance at ultimately claiming World Cup glory.
Firstly, they crumbled under the pressure of a penalty shoot-out, football's cruel match-decider.
Kerr's miss was one of the worst you'll see, especially from a striker who normally hits the ball so cleanly. Emily Gielnik's saved shot smacked of nerves as well, a weak attempt that showed more a fear of missing the target than beating the keeper.
No blame is attached to individuals - penalties are a lottery and every great player has missed their share - but this is an experienced Matildas side, and you would not expect them to bottle it so.
The other factor that can't be ignored is that even if Australia had progressed, there were few signs they would have gone on to take the tournament by storm.
There were signs in the first half that things were on the improve; the passing was crisper, the side seemed balanced and the patient build-up was there.
But Norway's veteran side gradually wore the gloss off the Matildas, frustrating them by holding their serried lines and attacking, effectively, at the right moments.
Who knows, Australia may have improved and grown into the tournament, but ultimately if you're good enough, bad refereeing decisions and generous slices of bad luck are only ever speed bumps to your progress.
Great sides play their way out of bad form, and the Matildas were never quite able to do that.
They'll be back. The average age of this squad is 25.
As Kerr said, "We'll learn from this and we'll grow from it."
But this World Cup feels like an opportunity lost for a side that was on a sharp upward trajectory just a few months ago.
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