‘More than we hoped’: Matildas coach’s big Kerr call ahead of blockbuster semi

Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson says he has some “tough decisions” to make about his starting line-up for Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final against England, but all 23 players of his squad are “available” for the historic clash.

That includes captain Sam Kerr, who is in the frame to start despite Gustavsson revealing she played more minutes against France in Saturday’s quarter-final than the Matildas medical team had hoped.

Kerr played 77 minutes (including stoppage time and extra time) and converted her penalty attempt in the shootout.

In Tuesday’s pre-match press conference, Gustavsson said: “She pushed through more minutes than we initially hoped for to be honest.

“One of the reasons we kept her on the bench was that we were uncertain how many minutes she had (in her) coming back from the calf injury and the limited training she had.

“The way she pushed through was fantastic and impressive, from a mental and physical aspect.

“She recovered well and she trained today. She’s available tomorrow.”

But in a sign she will again start off the bench, Gustavsson said ‘consistency and chemistry’ was crucial in his decision-making about the starting XI for the crunch clash.

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The entire squad took to