Bring on Brazil! That’s the message from key Aussie midfielder Elise Kellond-Knight after the Westfield Matildas drew with Sweden to advance to the knockout round on Wednesday morning (AEST).
The Matildas finished second in the so-called “Group of Death” after holding Sweden to a 1-1 draw in Edmonton.
Matildas into round of 16 after Sweden draw
An early Lisa De Vanna goal was cancelled out by Sofia Jakobsson but the Matildas’ defence was rarely troubled after that and they got the desired result.
The reward for Alen Stajcic’s exuberant side is a tantalising match-up with Brazil in Moncton on Monday morning (AEST)
“You’ve got to beat the best teams to win this World Cup,” Kellond-Knight told SBS.
“It’s not as if we haven’t had a challenge in the [group stage already].
“Throw another one at us, we’re ready to go.”
It was an explosive start by the Matildas against the fifth-ranked Swedes, with De Vanna scoring inside five minutes for her seventh World Cup goal after a brilliant lofted pass from defender Laura Alleway.
But they couldn’t maintain that cracking pace for long, with Sweden hitting back just 10 minutes later through a pinpoint strike from the impressive Jakobsson.
“We came out like a bull out of a gate really and started the first 10 minutes fantastically,” Kellond-Knight, nicknamed "KK", added.
“We just dropped off and Sweden came back into the match unfortunately. They are a quality side, it’s impossible to keep them out for 90 minutes.
“[But] we knew if we held out for the result we’d be through, so it’s a sense of relief.
“We’re so happy to be through to the next round. A draw is what we needed and we came here and did the job today.”
