Women's World Cup: Australia 'disappointed' but will reflect on 'inspiring' campaign

It is possibly testament to Australia's World Cup performances that they were "disappointed" to miss retired connected the last but, successful their pursuit of glory, the Matildas person won implicit a nation.

But Australia caput manager Tony Gustavsson said it is "just the beginning" for the Matildas.

"I hatred to lose, but this is bigger than 90 minutes of football," helium said.

En way to reaching the past 4 for the archetypal time, the Matildas person captivated Australia, winning implicit fans crossed the state and thriving successful beforehand of their record-breaking location crowds.

They person surpassed their champion show astatine a World Cup, which was a quarter-final exit connected 3 abstracted occasions - and volition purpose to decorativeness 3rd erstwhile they instrumentality connected three-time bronze medallists Sweden connected Saturday.

"I consciousness like, arsenic a team, we person truthful overmuch content and truthful overmuch assurance arsenic a group," added Swede Gustavsson.

"No substance what's happened connected the outside, nary substance who we've travel up against, each situation we've managed to solve. Every crippled we've managed to vie - and travel retired connected top.

"Right present we're not blessed astir being successful the semi-final, we're disappointed astir not being successful the final.

"We privation to spell 1 measurement further - we each person a dream."

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'We've won the bosom and passionateness for this game'

Just similar England, who won their archetypal large trophy connected location ungraded past twelvemonth with the Euros, Australia witnessed grounds crowds and went further than possibly galore thought possible.

The build-up to the last-four lucifer was the speech of Australia this week, with the team's exploits covering the beforehand and backmost pages of newspapers crossed the state arsenic fans revelled successful 'Matildas Mania'.

Australia tin present spot the benefits of occurrence successful a location tournament, giving them assurance to execute connected the satellite signifier and inspiring a procreation of young players.

"I'm blessed that radical believed we could triumph this tournament," said Gustavsson.

"We felt that belief, we had this content for a agelong clip internally. We are possibly not arsenic precocious ranked, oregon person arsenic galore large players oregon the aforesaid resources, but we person thing other precise peculiar successful this team.

"I don't deliberation it's excessively aboriginal [to deliberation astir winning the World Cup], but I besides deliberation it's conscionable the opening of something.

"We are maximising the resources we person close now. The instrumentality of the concern is precise bully but let's put much and beryllium genuine contenders."

Australia's talismanic striker Sam Kerr echoed her manager's thoughts, saying the effect was "disappointing" but that she would bespeak connected a palmy tourney successful different ways.

"I person to deliberation of each the things the squad person done, and I person done, to beryllium wherever we are present and to animate a nation," added Kerr.

"I tin lone talk for the Matildas but we request backing successful our development, we request backing successful our grassroots."

Gustavsson added the effect was "bigger than 90 minutes of football", with the Matildas attracting much fans to women's shot implicit the past 4 weeks.

"We're precise disappointed that we lost, but hopefully we won thing else," helium said. "We've won the bosom and the passionateness for this crippled successful this country."