From Cathy to the Matildas: Immortal Aussie sport moments World Cup heroes might be part of

The Matildas have impressed a nation with their historic exploits on the Women’s World Cup.

Tonight they’ll look to go one step additional once they face England within the semi-finals.

But already they’ve written their names into the historical past books and delivered one of many biggest sporting moments this nation has ever seen.

Goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold was the famous person because the Aussies defeated world quantity 5 France in an exhilarating penalty shootout on Saturday evening, earlier than teen 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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But what else ought to be on the checklist? Looking 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.

When it involves this century, we’ve picked out our most iconic moments beneath (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 burden of expectations like Freeman, who lit the Olympic Flame just some days earlier. But 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. But Ian Thorpe anchoring the Australian group within the 4x100m males’s freestyle relay to an iconic victory must be proper up there. Thorpe charged dwelling like a freight practice to upset an undefeated American group, making up half a physique size on Gary Hall Jr to win gold and smash the world report.

2002: Steven Bradbury’s all-time comeback seals Olympics gold

No one from the southern hemisphere had claimed gold on the Winter Olympics earlier than Bradbury swooped within the closing 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 brief in elimination qualifiers on many painful events. But 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 unimaginable comeback to steal the lead within the closing time trial.

2013: Adam Scott wins US Masters

The solely 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 National – even when it took him a few playoff holes to get the job executed.

2017: Jeff Horn seals gorgeous world title upset

Hardly anybody gave Aussie schoolteacher-turned-boxer Jeff Horn an opportunity towards the legendary Manny Pacquiao. But the Aussie bought the job executed in controversial trend at Suncorp Stadium to grow to be Welterweight world champion.

2022: Ash Barty makes Aussie Open historical past