Sam Kerr and Pernille Harder share more than a few similarities. They are the faces of women’s football in Australia and Denmark respectively, national team captains and figureheads for the sport. They are among the best attacking players in the world, with a penchant for scoring – each averaging a goal every second game for their country. They are even similar in age and stature – just a year and a few centimetres apart. And they have spent the prime of their careers playing together, forming a potent partnership at Chelsea until Harder’s recent move to Bayern Munich.
But on Monday, when the Matildas meet Denmark in the round-of-16 at the Women’s World Cup, only one of these celebrated goal-scorers can triumph. In what is expected to be Sam Kerr’s first match of the tournament, returning from a calf injury suffered three weeks ago, the Matildas’ star will go head-to-head with her former team-mate. It will be a tale of two strikers (although the versatile Harder can play anywhere across the front-third).
The paradox of both players is that, in a team environment, they are only one of 11, one of 23. “They are both part of a team – and we have now seen that Australia also without Sam Kerr has a very good team, and I also think that we without Pernille has a good team,” insisted Danish coach Lars Søndergaard on Sunday.
But Kerr and Pernille are prima inter pares – first among equals. Players that influence the course of a game in the moment; players that can step up when the defining moment arrives. “They are both players that, out of nothing, can decide games,” added Søndergaard. “They can score goals, prepare for others to score a goal. You have to keep an eye on those kind of players.”
Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson, from neighbouring Sweden, knows all too well the impact that Harder can have on Monday. “Being in Scandinavia a lot, I know how much Harder means – not just for Denmark but for women’s football and football in general,” he said. “Same thing with Sam.”
It is an influence, a contribution to the sport, that they make on and off the pitch. “We’ve said from day one that this is more than 90-minute football,” Gustavsson added. Legacy is a buzzword for the Matildas right now, and both Kerr and Harder offer legacy in spades. “They are two of many that will contribute to growing the game,” he said.
It is not yet clear what role Kerr will have in the game. On Sunday Gustavsson was his usual guarded self, offering only that he would meet with his medical staff later that evening to decide. But following an extra week of recovery, after going unused against Canada, it seems that Kerr is certain to see minutes on Monday, off the bench at least. Whatever the ultimate result, at least Kerr will have kicked a ball in anger at her home World Cup.
“In a way we are happy to see two of the world’s best players, offensive players, in one game,” said Søndergaard when asked about the match-up. Former team-mates, elite attackers – each hoping to outshine the other on this grandest stage. “That’s what the World Cup is all about,” said the Danish coach.
Kerr’s involvement, whatever form it takes, will provide an immeasurable boost to the Matildas – together with the return of several other players, including Aivi Luik and Charlotte Grant from concussion symptoms. Following weeks of injury woes, at least 22 of the 23 Matildas are fit for this crucial encounter – and Gustavsson indicated on Sunday that the 23rd member of the squad, Kyah Simon, is almost ready to return from her long-term ACL injury as well.
All of which leaves the Matildas camp on the cusp of greatness and with a sense of anticipation. The team are trying not to get ahead of themselves – the mantra that “every match is a final” has been often-repeated in recent days. But if the Matildas can beat Denmark, it would be only the second-time in history that Australia has won a knock-out match at the World Cup. The Socceroos have never progressed past the round of 16; the Matildas just once, in 2015.
With the nation behind them, excitement rising and winnable matches to follow, the weeks ahead could be an era-defining time for Australian football. But not if Harder has anything to say about it. The Danish striker and her Australian counterpart are both talismanic figures for their national teams, on and off the pitch. But only one of Harder and Kerr can triumph on Monday.
