The hosts of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Australia, have reached the semi-finals for the first time after defeating France in a penalty shootout on Saturday. The match at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane was deadlocked at 0-0 after regulation and extra time, so the two teams had to battle it out from the spot. Australia prevailed 7-6, with Courtney Viney scoring the decisive penalty. Stephanie Catley, Mackenzie Arnold, and Claire Hunt missed their penalties for Australia, while Vicky Beko, Kenza Daly, Eve Parisette, and Selma Bacha missed theirs for France.

Australia’s other scorers in the shootout were Ellie Carpenter, Tameka Yallop, Katrina Gorrie, Mary Fowler, and Sam Kerr. Melly Lockerer, Sakina Karchoui, Grace Gayoro, Eugenie Lee Sommer, Wendy Renard, and Kadidiatou Diani scored for France. Australia will now face the winner of the match between England and Colombia in the semi-finals. The Netherlands and Sweden will contest the other semi-final. This is a historic moment for Australian women’s football, and the team hopes to go one step further and win the World Cup for the first time. They have a tough road ahead, but they have shown they can beat anyone on their day.