How Australian and UK newspapers reacted to the…

How Australian and UK newspapers reacted to the Matildas’ defeat in the Women’s World Cup semi-final

How newspapers in Australia and the UK reacted to England’s win over the Matildas in in the 2023 Women’s World Cup semi-final in Sydney on Wednesday night. — How newspapers in Australia and the UK reacted to England’s win over the Matildas in the 2023 Women’s World Cup semi-final in Sydney on Wednesday night. Composite: Daily Express/Mirror/The Daily Telegraph/West Australian/Sydney Morning Herald/The Age/The Courier Mail

Australia has been left heartbroken after the Matildas were defeated by England’s Lionesses in their Fifa Women’s World Cup semi-final.

As the tears dry, we take a look at what the newspapers in Australia and Britain made of the match.

Sydney’s Daily Telegraph went strong on wordplay, with its front-page headline screaming “Heart breakerr”.

FRONT PAGE 📰
Read Thursday's paper as it was printed 👉 https://t.co/heSGsEQLOn pic.twitter.com/gir85sgyXH
— The Daily Telegraph (@dailytelegraph) August 16, 2023

The puns continued over at the Australian, where dreams of glory were “Kerr-tailed”. But fear not, it wrote, for the “national love affair’s just begun”.

The Australian front page Thu 17 August after Matildas loss

The West Australian took a somber tone, with “It hurts … ” in bold typography hovering over a crouched and defeated Sam Kerr.

On the back page, Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson is seen hugging his team’s captain.

The front page of tomorrow's The West Australian #GoMatildas pic.twitter.com/45A45nJHt6
— Anthony De Ceglie (@AnthDeCeglie) August 16, 2023

The back of tomorrow's The West Australian. #GoMatildas @TheWestSport @westaustralian @AnthDeCeglie pic.twitter.com/vFC05erS8Y
— Jakeb Waddell (@JakebWaddell) August 16, 2023

The Sydney Morning Herald pointed to Kerr’s “brilliance” amid the loss. The words “Queens of hearts” were laid over an aerial shot of the Matildas huddled in the shape of a heart.

Sydney morning herald cover Thu 17 Aug after Matildas defeat

In Victoria, the Age paired an image of England’s Georgia Stanway aside a disappointed Kerr, with the headline: “Pride and pain.”

The Age front page Thu 17 Aug after Matildas defeat in WWC

Queensland’s Courier Mail opted for wholesomeness on their cover, with a photograph of the Matildas’ heart huddle and the words “Heart of a nation”.

The Courier Mail Thu 17 Aug front page after Matildas defeat

Meanwhile, British papers revelled in their team’s victory, with some looking ahead to what might be when Sunday comes.

Thursday's front page: The History Girls #TomorrowsPapersToday https://t.co/8tBqfV16iQ pic.twitter.com/uZWGvnIPzX
— The Mirror (@DailyMirror) August 16, 2023

Guardian front page, Thursday 17 August 2023: PM stands by pension triple lock despite surging costs pic.twitter.com/GAGm8oTwwJ
— The Guardian (@guardian) August 16, 2023

Some made room on their front page for a “wilting Matildas” reference.

Thursday's front page: Wonder women!#TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/5FIcDiTgCJ
— i newspaper (@theipaper) August 16, 2023

On tomorrow's front page: England's Lionesses roar with delight after beating Australia to reach their first World Cup finalhttps://t.co/c9ycP3KtHf pic.twitter.com/kQZ5KXMxPN
— The Sun (@TheSun) August 16, 2023