Australia hoped the Matildas could repel immense pressure and beat Olympic champions Canada to ensure their World Cup survival, but surely no one expected the one-sided demolition that unfolded.
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The performance was somewhat of a statement, and there was plenty for their World Cup rivals to be nervous about.
These are five of the key takeaways from a stunning Monday night performance in Melbourne.
Floodgates open
Despite creating enough chances to win two or three games, the Matildas' failure to finish proved critical in their 3-2 loss to Nigeria in Brisbane last Thursday night.
But there were no such issues against Canada, as Australia devastated the world No.7 ranked side with lethal attacking raids and ruthlessness in front of goals.
In three group games, the Matildas have shown various strings to their attacking game.
Goals have come from textbox plays in the box, off corners and from the penalty spot with five different scorers combining for seven goals.
Will Kerr play?
It's been the most-asked question since the tournament began, and that Sam Kerr is still potentially waiting in the wings for Australia would be concerning for other teams watching the Matildas' dogged display on Monday night.
If the Matildas can put four - it actually could have been five had it not been for a controversial call on Mary Fowler's disallowed goal in the 34th minute - past a champion team like Canada, what can they did with Kerr on the field?
While Australian fans are breathing a little easier after seeing the goalfest produced without the Matildas' courageous captain and arguably world's best striker, the rest of the world will be waiting nervously to see if Kerr can overcome a calf complaint and take the field for the rest of the tournament.
Aussie spirit
The way the Matildas absorbed the immense pressure heaped on them going into the must-win game with Canada would also strike fear into the world's most dominant sides.
They embraced it, a privilege players said, and produced an inspired performance with their trademark 'Never say die attitude' that was forged at the 2007 World Cup in China.
It's become the Matildas way - no pressure, no problem - and will set them in good stead for the do-or-die stages.
Substitutions
Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson has used his substitutes sparingly so far and has made only forced changes to his starting line-up.
That's a lot of high-intensity match minutes so far for some players.
And limited, or no game time, for others.
How will that effect the team if they continue to progress is not yet known.
Ratings winner
The match proved a ratings hit for Seven and 7plus, reaching 4.71 million viewers to become Seven's most-watched program of 2023.
It was a record audience for a single event on 7plus and so far Seven's coverage of the World Cup has reached 8.02 million broadcast viewers plus another 1.14 million on 7plus.
There has been criticism that all of the World Cup games are not on free to air TV but Channel 7 have confirmed they will screen the Matildas' round-of-16 clash next Monday night.