Matildas face Sam Kerr-nundrum before Women’s World Cup quarter-final | Kieran Pender

There is no easy answer to the question of how to return one of the world’s best strikers to a cohesive team against France

“I’m going to be honest,” offered coach Tony Gustavsson on Monday night, after the Matildas’ last-16 victory over Denmark was capped off with the return of captain Sam Kerr. “I could sit here and say it was easy, but it wasn’t. Those decisions are big.”

The return of Kerr in the final stages of the second half in Sydney was a symbolic moment – the return of their “spiritual leader”following her calf injury on the eve of the tournament. Kerr began to warm up with her team holding a slender one-goal advantage; she was brought on after Hayley Raso had put the game beyond doubt. With the match effectively won, her introduction was in some ways a gamble by Gustavsson.

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