This was published 7 months ago

Ante Milicic remembers the “Miracle of Montpellier” like it was yesterday – when his Matildas, under unfathomable pressure four days after losing their 2019 World Cup opener to sleeping giants Italy, met Brazil with their tournament on the line.

Thirty-eight minutes in at Stade de la Mosson, Australia were down 2-0 to their long-time rivals and on the precipice of a calamitous group-stage exit and confronting post-mortem. Then, in first-half stoppage time, Caitlin Foord scored. After the break, Chloe Logarzo-Berryhill added another, before an own goal from Brazil confirmed one of the greatest comebacks in Australian women’s football history .

“We’re back, so suck on that one,” new captain Sam Kerr said at full-time, in one of the less orthodox post-match broadcast interviews on record.

But that win highlighted the collective resilience of a team with everything to play for.

“I saw it first hand with the Matildas when I coached them,” Milicic said on Saturday.…