This was published 7 months ago

The streets won’t forget these Matildas. They’ve changed Australia, in both the way we see ourselves and the way the world sees us. They’ve inspired hundreds, thousands, millions, and in as many different ways. They’ve captured hearts and minds and created memories and moments that will last a lifetime, maybe longer.

You could mount an argument that these things matter more than trophies – and in a way, if you think really hard about it, you might be a little bit right. But you also know that’s not how this works, and that’s exactly why this hurts so much .

The end of an era has arrived: tomorrow, probably, begins the slow break-up of this golden generation, of perhaps the greatest collection of individual footballers, male or female, that this country has ever assembled.

We’re just going to have to remember them as one of the best teams never to win something.

This Women’s Asian Cup was supposed to fix that wrinkle in the universe.…