In a historic triumph, the CommBank ParaMatildas have become the first-ever Australian national football side to win a World Cup and maintain their ranking as the Number 1 Women’s CP Football team in the world.
At Futbol Salou in Spain on Wednesday, the ParaMatildas won the final over team USA, with a final score of 6 to 2.
This victory was a big comeback from a previous tournament, where the ParaMatildas lost the 2022 World Cup Final to the USA at the same venue.
Matildas goalkeeper and captain Katelyn Smith guided her team to the win by recording a hat-trick with her boot and continually denying the USA attack with her gloves.
“I think it’s exhilarating,” Smith said, following the tournament win. “We’ve worked so hard, and I think the feelings… you really can’t put it into words at the moment. It’s still a bit of an adrenaline rush, but the feelings are very very good.”
“I actually missed a penalty earlier on in the match and I thought to myself, ‘alright I’ve missed it, let’s pick my head up, we’ve still got so long in the game left’, so to come out and score three goals– one from a penalty and two just kicking it long and hoping to find another player where it ended up in the back net, is very exciting. And I take every opportunity that I can.”
“It feels awesome, the heartbreak two years ago was a tough one. We were only new into it,” she said, adding that now the team has had “two quality years together” and they’ve come a long way as a team.
Early in the first half of the game, the ParaMatildas fell behind the USA by two goals.
Shortly before half-time, Smith scored her first goal, breaking the match wide-open for the ParaMatildas. At 2-1, Australia had a chance to equalise before half-time through a spot-kick, but Smith was unable to convert.
The second half brought even more intensity, as Smith was offered a chance at redemption with 20 minutes remaining. She scored a second goal from a penalty kick, completing her hat-trick and putting Australia back into a chance at driving success.
For the rest of the match, Australia continued to rack up the score, with Annmarie de Uriarte and Georgia Beikoff scoring three goals between them.
As the final whistle blew, cheers erupted throughout the stadium and the ParaMatildas were officially crowned World Champions,
“Words cannot express how we’re feeling right now– I’m over the moon,” said the ParaMatildas’ Head Coach Kelly Stirton, after their triumph. “I don’t know whether to just laugh or cry. I’m stoked.”
“It was incredible. I’ve been waiting for this feeling for two years, and ‘redemption’, we finally got it. The girls dug deep.”
Feature image: Mark Avellino / Football Australia.