The Matildas coach, Tony Gustavsson, is a maths teacher by training. It shows. Even on the biggest night yet in the history of Australian women’s football, when his team had just demolished the Olympic champions, Canada to progress to the round of 16 at a home World Cup, Gustavsson finds comfort in numbers. Which is how he found himself in the bowels of the stadium after the match, reciting statistics.
“Since we played Canada last time, we have won 11 out of 13 games, including five against top-ranked opposition,” Gustavsson said. “We scored 33 goals and conceded eight.” He proceeded to list some of the notable results in that streak – with instant recall. These were instructive numbers. They tell us much about the Matildas’ recent form, which had left them considered among the teams to beat at this tournament.
