Women's World Cup 2023: Matildas 'not done yet' as they chase glory on home soil

Mackenzie Arnold made four saves during Australia's penalty shootout victory over France in the quarter-finals

Australia has been sucked up in 'Matildas Mania' during the Women's World Cup but while the team have already inspired a nation, goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold insists they are not done yet.

A place in the World Cup final is at stake when they meet European champions England in Wednesday's last-four meeting and you can bet the entire country will be watching.

Cities have been covered in banners wishing the Matildas luck, fan parks and domestic flights have shown their matches on screens to thousands of Australians, flagship TV news shows have been pushed back and a street has even been renamed after Arnold.

"The legacy we wanted to leave throughout this World Cup - to inspire a generation - we have done more than that. We have done more than we thought we would accomplish," said Arnold.

"We are not done yet but to see the reaction we have received from the whole country, this is only the beginning and there is lot more to come."

West Ham goalkeeper Arnold was the main act in Saturday's penalty shootout victory over France with four saves, including twice from Kenza Dali - moving off her line early to lead to a retake but then saving that too.

Arnold herself had the opportunity to score the winning penalty as the fifth taker for Australia, after saving from Eve Perisset, but struck the post in a dramatic sequence of events.

"I guess the last couple of days have been a pretty big whirlwind for me and it's probably the first time I've ever received attention like that," said Arnold.

"I've had to block it out because I know if I play [rubbish] tomorrow it could be a whole different response."

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'It wasn't my call to take the penalty'

Mackenzie Arnold and Tony Gustavsson were in a relaxed mood during Tuesday's media conference

Arnold joined manager Tony Gustavsson in a media conference on Tuesday and was in a relaxed mood, making jokes, speaking defiantly about their chances and joining in the hype of the Australia-England sporting rivalry.

"Yeah, there will be a lot of English people I'm sure would love to see us knocked out by them," said Arnold. "But I think there's lots of Australians that would love for us to knock them out too!"

Asked who decided on the penalty takers against France, she added: "It wasn't my call!", looking apologetically at Gustavsson.

Her manager was also full of jokes and defiance, claiming it was up to the media to decide who the favourites were but following that statement with a list of reasons as to why England should be.

"If you look at rankings they're favourites, if you look at where their players play, they have starting players in top clubs, in top leagues all over the world," said Gustavsson.

"Compared to us, we have bench players in those teams. We have players playing in mid-table teams in Sweden. So if you look at all that and you look at resources and finances, obviously they are massive favourites going into this game."

But both Arnold and Gustavsson were keen to stress the importance of the home support which has grown in thousands as momentum has built throughout the tournament.

The 81,000-capacity stadium is expected to be a sellout, while fan parks across Sydney have been putting up food stall tents and big screens throughout the week in preparation of huge crowds.

"The one thing we have that England don't have is the support and belief from the fans. That in itself is going to be massive," said Gustavsson.

Arnold added: "Outside the stadium, seeing the support we've had all over the country has been unreal.

"The fans have been like the 12th player for us. They have been a massive reason as to why we have been successful. We hope it continues..."

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