Matildas can dare to dream after stepping back from abyss

What we do know is when Aussie teams sit back in a compact block and spring forward, they can look terrific. These tactics feed into the siege mentality that Graham Arnold’s Socceroos and now Gustavsson’s Matildas have been able to harness. It aligns perfectly with this side’s ‘Never Say Die’ culture (read: Arnie’s patented ‘Aussie DNA’) and Gustavsson’s ambition to play transitional football.

A couple of tweaks set them on their way. Having planned so much around the Sam…