Team GB 3-4 Australia (aet): Olympics women’s football quarter-final – as it happened

Okay, I’m off for a cup of tea and some M&Ms, and hope all of you out there in the world are recovering in similar fashion. It’s been a pleasure. See you next time.

Suzi Wrack was there in the flesh, and herewith her match report of that crazy, crazy game.

The Sweden v Japan match has finished at 3-1 which means Australia will face the world No 5, who are becoming very familiar foes. The Matildas played Sweden only six days ago in the group stage, when they lost 4-2. They are drew nil-nil in a friendly in June. In other words, Sweden are the monkey on Australia’s back. The game is scheduled for Monday at 8pm local time in Yokohama.

Canada will play either the Netherlands or the US on Monday at 5pm local time at the Kashima Stadium. The Americans are leading 2-1 in the second half in that rematch of the 2019 World Cup final, which they also won.

There are tears on both sides of the divide at Kashima Stadium. White is distraught. For Australia, the last four is the furthest they have been at at either an Olympics or a World Cup. They will play either Sweden or Japan on Monday. Sweden are currently up 3-1 in the second half of their quarter-final.

Australia progress to the semi-finals and Team GB’s Olympics campaign comes to an end in the last eight, just as it did at London 2012. They were excellent, the Brits. White in particular was deft in her skill and merciless in her execution. She had a hat-trick, and even that wasn’t enough. Had Micah not saved Weir’s penalty kick, this would have gone to a shootout. The Australian goalkeeper was superb. Kerr’s brace was dazzling. This match was worthy of all the superlatives.

120+2 mins Stanway was shown a yellow for that. Fowler has the ball down in GB’s left corner and is somewhat manhandled. GB have one last chance, one last foray. Too late, the whistle blows.

120 mins Kerr is in defensive mode too, and on a mission to put the ball anywhere but inside Australia’s half. It’s out, but she doesn’t care. Catley has just clashed with Stanway and drops to the turf. She wins a free kick. We have two minutes of added time.

119 mins Parris is dispossessed by Logarzo. Back GB come. They have a corner. Kirby will take it. She offers supply but none of her teammates can get on the end of it.

118 mins Parris hoicks the ball in and it’s sent straight back. But Riise’s women are hunting and not letting up.

117 mins It’s not over until the fat lady sings, but she is four minutes away from song and Team GB still need a fourth goal if they are to send this encounter to penalties. Can anyone breathe? Another British attacking wave is hacked away.

115 mins Scott wins a corner. Yallop is barking orders at Logarzo to move to the near post. The corner is scuffed away. White now is down. She doesn’t appeal for a penalty, just a corner. She gets one. It’s worked away from the near post but Kirby recycles and lays a golden chance on a plate for White, who makes no mistake with her head and has her hat-trick. How about this!

113 mins Bronze takes her leave for Georgia Stanway. Imperious as Bronze has been – and generally always is – the 29-year-old has appeared sapped of energy since the end of regulation time. Kirby takes a quick corner and Weir is hovering with ball. Hovering for too long.

111 mins There is still a sense that overall Team GB have had the upper hand, Australia have just been more clinical. Footballers love that word, don’t they.

110 mins Regardless, Bronze is in a menacing position having been played in by Weir. Can she fashion something? Sort of, but it’s straight to Micah.

109 mins This match is helter-skelter. It’s a belter. Claire Polkinghorne is making her entrance now, replacing another substitute for Cooney-Cross. The teenager had a cracking W-League season with Melbourne Victory but Gustavsson is no doubt opting for both experience in a veteran and some defensive support.

106 mins It’s Kerr again, and it’s a poacher’s goal – her specialty. She outleaps Houghton and deposits a header past Roebuck, who is surely embroiled in some sort of waking nightmare.

So it’s 8.15pm at Kashima Stadium and the temperature is still 25 degrees with 90% humidity. Sweat is pouring of the shirts of every player. They are back out on the pitch for this final period, Australia out to protect their lead and GB out to equalise.

105 mins Fowler bolted into the Matildas’ 2019 World Cup squad but didn’t play. She made her Olympics debut as a starter against the USA and held her own. And now she’s scored against Team GB in a quarter-final. She can’t wipe the smile off her face. Australia have their tails up now as GB attempt a last attack. Time to regroup.

104 mins May Fowler, that is an exquisite goal. She steps forward and her left laces belt through the ball. It takes a mildly fortunate deflection off Bronze but it was still a stunning hit that is well beyond Roebuck’s reach in the top corner.

101 mins Parris’s speed may come into play here. Astute move by Riise at this juncture. The Matildas are chasing their tails a little. They are pinned back as GB pass the ball fluidly. They are composed. Williamson slides in for a challenge on Catley that looks late but it is not pulled out. Oh! GB appeal for a penalty after Carpenter is adjudged to have brought down Parris. Weir steps up to the spot. Micah saves! She has been simply tremendous this keeper.

97 mins Weir, for her part, is still full of energy. After an earlier foray down the left channel GB have utilised for much of this match she releases Walsh this time. GB have had the better of this first period of extra-time. Well and truly. Nikita Parris’s fresh legs replace Hemp’s weary one.

96 mins Micah, that is a top-drawer save, and it had to be to stop Walsh, who puts her boot through a the ball for a barrelling shot. White this time comes agonisingly close to a hat-trick after a goal-line scramble and Micah again is up to the task. That might have been an even more impressive save. That reflex.

93 mins Britain engineers the first attack, Weir runs inside and has Kirby in her sights at the back post. No dice. Australia duck and weave and then run the ball up the other end. That was Mary Fowler, the teenager who was excellent against the USA at short notice when Foord was withdrawn during the warm-up.

Don writes in.

“Oh me of little faith. Had Matildas done. Kerr’s calmness and time so good. So who are the fitter team? GB look bigger. Aussies just brought on young players. Scales tip in AUS favour maybe.”

We shall find out, Don. We shall find out.

The British players appear as if they’re in genuine pain. Massages are happening and cramps being stretched out. Australia are a little more sprightly, in a huddle as listening to their manager.

90+5 mins Walsh works the ball out to Bronze, who doesn’t really chase it. The final minutes sort of dissolves. There’s almost an air of inevitability for both sides, who make their way to their respective dugouts and begin to prepare. Prepare for the fatigue of another 30 minutes.

90+4 mins Australia clear their lines again. They are under real pressure now. GB have picked up the pace and are raining down on their counterparts. They want this over now. They don’t want extra time. Nobody wants penalties.

90+3 mins This is going to extra-time. Or is it? Scott slides the ball out wide in the hunt for a winner. GB recycle the ball, embark on another attack. They have a corner. Weir takes it and Houghton, at the back post smashes the ball into a green-and-gold wall.

90+1 mins In the nick of time, Kerr has equalised in emphatic fashion, right when Australia needed it so desperately. Like I said, give her a sniff. She gets one via a long ball and she turns Bright inside the box, does a pirouette and takes a shot with her right foot, straight past Houghton and into the net. That was as much GB’s fault as it was Kerr’s skill. Five minutes of added time.

89 mins Who is it? It’s captain Kerr

88 mins Here’s Gielnik. This won’t be a very eloquent way of putting this, but she is a weapon. The winger added a physical presence at the 2019 World Cup and she has a one on one here courtesy of an aesthetically pleasing ball from Kerr. She tries to chip Roebuck but skews her shot wide.

85 mins Time is ticking, which is good for GB and less well, good, for Australia. A sense of urgency is palpable. Carpenter even wipes the ball down with vigour in preparation for a throw-in. It is in vein, though, because the Brits have already left the building that is their third and are on the counter. Micah is inexplicably of her line and cuts an anxious figure turning on her heels. Lucky for her, the speculative shot is well wide.

82 mins The Australia manager makes his move, introducing Kyra Cooney-Cross for Foord and Emily Gielnik for Luik. For Jill Scott replaces Kim Little. Weir has played some delightful inside balls in this second half and she does so again, releasing Hemp and having Australia’s defence in a panic.

79 mins Gustavsson, meanwhile, is pacing his technical area as substitutes warm up. Australia have yet another free kick. This time it’s at the feet of Catley, who dinks it in nicely but GB win the second ball and normality resumes. Catley makes her way to just inside the right corner flag for ANOTHER free kick. It zooms past Simon and takes a deflection of White, I think. The Matildas certainly think and appeal for a corner, which is not given.

76 mins Team GB half-appealed for a penalty after that Hemp-Raso moment. The referee wasn’t having it. Bright fouls Kerr in the middle. It’s getting a little messy out there. Emily van Egmond takes the free kick. It’s long and full of intent, but brought down before it can be capitalised upon.

73 mins Hemp is on the left edge of the box and it’s only excellent defending by Raso that stops her probing further. The ball to Hemp came from Weir, and it was a nice one too.

69 mins White is brutal. She has been knocking at the door for some time, but she made the Matildas pay for that defensive lapse. Yallop is upended by Little and Australia launch the ensuing free kick. Amid the mass movement and some confusion Simon earns herself a yellow card for a challenge on Little that leaves the attacker on the ground. Trainers are out there bandaging up her head.

66 mins An Australian throw-in finds White. Her header bounces off Luik and then Kennedy and it dribbles backwards to a lurking White. She throws her right boot forward. Micah gets a glove to it but it’s not enough to stop it nestling into the bottom right corner.

65 mins While all of this was happening, GB have made to substitutions. Kirby replaces Daly and Millie Bright lets Stokes take her leave.

63 mins GB approach Australia’s third and they shift into that defensive shape again. Under pressure, Kennedy opts for a backpass to Micah, who restarts the attack. Raso squeezes into a sliver of an opening to no avail.

60 mins The ledger is levelled, so they say. I texted a friend at the break to say this would happen. I realise that peach of a goal had nothing to do with any social correspondence whatsoever, and more to do with Team GB’s resilience. Australia are pushing hard to regain the lead. Kerr crosses from the right to Foord at the back post. She shoots and the ball takes a deflection off Houghton before bouncing safely away from the goal line. That would have been an unfortunate own goal indeed.

57 mins Hemp beats Kerr and gets away a ball with her left boot and White has a free header. She buries it. Micah can do nothing. Carpenter turns and surveys the damage.

56 mins Australia are throwing players behind the ball when Team GB are in possession, Carpenter and Catley tracking back to provide extra cover. The Brits are struggling to make headway, but Walsh makes a hint of an opening count, threading a pass to Hemp who turns and shoots – directly to Micah.