Perhaps Joe Montemurro is a fan of the O’Jays, or the Kinks, because the Matildas’ coach definitely didn’t waste any time in giving the people what they wanted when he picked his team to face Wales. There was to be no beating around the bush here, no carefully managed substitutions or reacting to the ebbs, flows and physicality of the game. For the first time in 725 days, Sam Kerr was going to play for Australia. And she was going to do so from the start.
After months of anticipation, the moment was here and the scene set for something special. Kerr had scored on her return for Chelsea, after all; why not now in her return to the national team fold, too?
