Matildas v England: the match that launched a thousand memes

‘The most accurate thing published on the internet today’ … The US embassy tweeted a Matildas version of the famous revolutionary war painting Washington Crossing the Delaware. Photograph: US Embassy Australia Twitter

Matildas fever has taken hold across Australia, and now enthusiasm for the country’s beloved team is threatening to boil over into an international incident – over memes.

In the lead-up to their seismic World Cup semi-final against England, the US embassy in Australia made clear where its allegiance lies, tweeting an edited version of Emanuel Leutze’s painting Washington Crossing the Delaware.