Australia has been gripped by Matildas fever in a collective sporting moment perhaps not seen in the country since the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
The Matildas toppled France in a dramatic quarterfinal in Brisbane on Saturday night, prevailing in a nerve-racking penalty shootout to reach the semifinals of the Fifa Women’s World Cup for the first time, as the game captured attention near and far, and even in mid-air.
Footage posted online shows a plane-full of passengers flying glued to their screens for those tense final moments, before erupting in celebration once Cortnee Vine slotted the match-winning spot kick.
The jubilant scenes didn’t even seem to startle the odd passenger out, who had instead found The Lord of the Rings a better option.
