Anyone who has watched the progress of Australia's star footballers in the English Women's Super League in recent years will not have been surprised by the quality on show at the World Cup.
Sam Kerr's wonder goal to level the scores at 1-1 against England on Wednesday night was far from the first time she has scored spectacularly in high-pressure moments.
In May last year, on the last day of the season, she won the Super League title for Chelsea with two stunning volleys, one with each foot, from outside the 18-yard box.
Full-time professionalism has rapidly transformed the women's game, creating faster, fitter and more technically and tactically gifted players. That progress was evident on Wednesday at Stadium Australia, where another 75,000-strong crowd cheered on the green and gold.
The game attracted a TV audience of 4.495 million viewers on Seven in the five main metropolitan cities plus many more in other cities and towns, live sites, pubs and on Optus Sport.
Other women's team sports, notably cricket, Australian rules and rugby league, are also seeing the benefit of rising financial investment and long-overdue player rewards but nothing yet to rival the passionate support for the Matildas' run to the semi-final in a World Cup on home soil.
The sight of male football fans hugging and weeping in grandstands and bars over the fate of the national women's team must seem like some sort of vindication for the many women and men who have supported and promoted the female game from grassroots to national level.
As former Socceroo Craig Foster said after the match, the tournament could contribute to social cohesion and the nation's identity.
The World Cup comes on the heels of an explosion in girls' participation in the sport, up 37 per cent in 10 years in NSW.
Football Australia has set the ambitious target of increasing the proportion of female players from 26 per cent to 50 per cent by 2027, a challenge which seems more achievable now than it did a month ago.
The federation recently finished building the Home of the Matildas, a high-performance training centre attached to La Trobe University in Victoria which attracted more than $115 million in government funding.
But more work needs to be done.
As Newcastle Herald football writer Renee Valentine has reported, the game needs more investment in female-friendly change rooms and more training and playing fields to cope with rising demand.
The costs of playing football at elite junior level for both boys and girls is another pressing issue.
"I can only speak for the Matildas [but], you know, we need funding in our development, we need funding in our grassroots. We need funding everywhere," Kerr said after the match.
"The legacy is what you do off the pitch. Hopefully this is the start of something new."
Congratulations to the Matildas, to the Australian and New Zealand public and to the established and emerging women's football nations who have contributed to such a compelling spectacle.
Good luck to Spain and England in Sunday's final.
Now the ball is at the feet of governments, FIFA, clubs owners, fans and football federations the world over to address equity issues for female players and recommit to driving the game forward.
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