The Matildas have impressed a nation with their historic exploits on the Girls’s World Cup.
Tonight they’ll look to go one step additional once they face England within the semi-finals.
However already they’ve written their names into the historical past books and delivered one of many best sporting moments this nation has ever seen.
Goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold was the famous person because the Aussies defeated world quantity 5 France in an exciting penalty shootout on Saturday evening, earlier than teenager Cortnee Vine buried the profitable penalty.
It’s a second that can dwell lengthy within the reminiscence, and earns a rightful place among the many most iconic moments in Aussie sporting historical past.
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However what else needs to be on the listing? Wanting again into the previous, the America’s Cup win in 1983 – the place Australia ended the USA’s 132-year profitable streak with an all-time comeback victory – was a cultural phenomenon.
With regards to this century, we’ve picked out our most iconic moments under (and within the video above!)
Fingers crossed the Matildas can ship one other second for the historical past books towards England.
2000: Cathy Freeman claims 400m gold on the Sydney Olympics
112,000 spectators witnessed historical past on that momentous evening in Sydney. Few Australians have carried the load of expectations like Freeman, who lit the Olympic Flame only a few days earlier. However she impressed a nation – and loads of our present Matildas – together with her dominant victory.
2000: Aussies stun the world in males’s 4x100m freestyle relay at Sydney Olympics
Australia has had no scarcity of iconic moments within the pool. However Ian Thorpe anchoring the Australian crew within the 4x100m males’s freestyle relay to an iconic victory needs to be proper up there. Thorpe charged dwelling like a freight prepare to upset an undefeated American crew, making up half a physique size on Gary Corridor Jr to win gold and smash the world report.
2002: Steven Bradbury’s all-time comeback seals Olympics gold
Nobody from the southern hemisphere had claimed gold on the Winter Olympics earlier than Bradbury swooped within the ultimate of the 1000m velocity skating occasion. He was miles behind his rivals however watched them take one another out of the race earlier than gliding by for Australia’s first Winter Olympics gold.
2005: John Aloisi sends Socceroos to the World Cup
Australia hadn’t been to a World Cup since 1974, and had fallen quick in elimination qualifiers on many painful events. However they lastly ended that lengthy drought in a penalty shootout win over Uruguay the place Aloisi buried the winner and whipped his shirt off in a celebration youngsters quickly copied across the nation.
2011: Cadel Evans wins Tour de France
No Australian had ever reigned supreme at biking’s showpiece occasion – till the 34-year-old pulled off a stunner with an unbelievable comeback to steal the lead within the ultimate time trial.
2013: Adam Scott wins US Masters
The one Aussie to ever reign supreme on the most well-known golf match on this planet, Scott outlasted the sphere in a gruelling 4 days at Augusta Nationwide – even when it took him a few playoff holes to get the job completed.
2017: Jeff Horn seals gorgeous world title upset
Hardly anybody gave Aussie schoolteacher-turned-boxer Jeff Horn an opportunity towards the legendary Manny Pacquiao. However the Aussie received the job completed in controversial style at Suncorp Stadium to develop into Welterweight world champion.
2022: Ash Barty makes Aussie Open historical past
It’s exhausting to select only one second. Aus Open or Wimbledon? We’ve gone for dwelling soil as a result of Barty is a true-blue Aussie legend. In a straight-sets masterclass, Barty got here out on prime of American Danielle Collins to develop into the primary Aussie to win the ladies’s singles crown since method again in 1978. And she or he celebrated with a beer, as well.
Honourable mentions:
The 2003 Rugby World Cup, the place Australia claimed a memorable win over NZ within the semis earlier than falling in heartbreaking style to England within the ultimate.
The 2015 Cricket World Cup ultimate on the MCG, the place Australia thrashed New Zealand in entrance of 93,013 followers.
The Girls’s T20 World Cup ultimate – additionally on the ‘G – the place Meg Lanning’s crew beat India to win a FIFTH T20 WC crown – this time in entrance of 86k.
A 20-year-old Ariarne Titmus in 2021 profitable the 200m/400m freestyle double on the Tokyo Olympics, her Olympic debut – and doing so towards the reigning champion Katie Ledecky.