Matildas captain Sam Kerr gets confidence boost in first World Cup minutes after calf injury

After the running daily updates, the close-up shots of her leg, and the chopper sent hovering over Matildas training throughout the week, the skipper was itching to put talk of her injury to bed on Monday night against Denmark.

Kerr did just that with her energetic 10-minute stint, coming on late in the 2-0 win as Australia moved into the quarter finals in emphatic style.

Even so, there was still an "oh no" moment not long after Kerr took the field. She slipped and landed awkwardly, wincing in pain and appearing to injure her groin as a national collectively held its breath.

But after such a long wait, Kerr got back and broke into a trot immediately as if to say: "Don't worry, Australia."

"I have terrible groins and just fell over like a normal thing," Kerr deadpanned after the game, as the Matildas celebrated.

"I think [any hint of injury] is just [under] a microscope, because I've been injured the last three weeks."

Kerr's job was made easy thanks to forward Caitlin Foord, who relieved the pressure with a "sublime" performance of her own up front.

For so long it felt like the Matildas needed Kerr on the field just to be a chance of winning. Now the Matildas have proved they can win without her, which makes the rest of the tournament a scary proposition.

"It's just a relief on a personal level," Kerr said after the 2-0 victory in Sydney courtesy of goals from Foord and Hayley Raso.

"It's just amazingly excited and I'm really proud of the girls.

"We're just taking every game as it comes. I missed the 20 minutes of the second half because I was warming up, but the girls smashed it.

"I know they can do it without me, but it's been amazing to sit back and watch how much these players that I grew up have grown into their own and they're all superstars of their own making."

Asked after the match whether she'd be likely to start in the quarter-final, Kerr was coy.

"I don't know," she said. "The physios have a plan. I asked them if I could run after the game and they said no, so I'm sure I'll just be following their plan like I have the last few weeks."

Cleared to feature in the do-or-die round of 16 clash, Kerr wasn't kicking the ball intensively in pre-game warm-ups, but looked to be chomping at the bit to get involved.

On a dewy surface after light rain at Homebush, first she stood beside the substitutes group get loose with passing drills, and then watched the strikers get their shots on goal, before becoming more involved teeing them up.

In their first match out of the group stage since 1995, the Danes set the tone with a long ball at kick-off to mount pressure on the Matildas from the first whistle.

Australia endured the pressure, with the opposition producing the best early chances. The Denmark counter-attack and set piece was a known threat in the lead-up, and the Matildas were on the ropes in the opening 20 minutes.

But the Matildas weren't shabby on the counter-attack either, and with a stray pass in the attacking third by Denmark, Mary Fowler produced a divine through-ball to a sprinting Caitlin Foord down the wing.

Foord took the ball in stride, shimmied to beat the defender, then put the ball sweetly in the back of the net to lift the 75,784 at Stadium Australia onto their feet.

The nutmeg of Danish goalkeeper Lene Christensen, a little cherry on top of an unforgettable World Cup moment.

"This is sublime," former Canberra United star Grace Gill said in Seven's commentary. "A top-shelf ball, excellent first touch and a clinical finish."

"One of the best counter-attacking goals of this World Cup," co-commentator David Basheer added.

On the sidelines Kerr was seen dancing, perhaps thinking she would be able to extend her rest on that injured calf.

Still, the crowd were frothing for her inclusion. Before half-time Kerr was flashed on the big screen and got a cheer only rivalled in volume by that of Foord's opening goal.

At half-time while the other substitutes did drills as Kerr went back in the sheds with the starters to give a captain's pep talk for a big second half.

The striker teased her inclusion to the crowd, warming up alongside speedy forward Cortnee Vine when the second 45 got underway.

Foord kept dominating the Matildas' attack though, and nearly set up Emily Van Egmond for her second goal in this World Cup.

The Danes simply couldn't contain her, and frustration boiled over when Janni Thomsen earned a yellow card for shoving and then tugging at Foord as she rounded her on the edge of the box.

Kerr kept stalking the sidelines, and with a change out of her long-sleeves into a fresh jersey, the green-and-gold fans lifted once more.

Breakout star of this World Cup, Raso, extended the Matildas' lead off a beautiful build-up play by Fowler before coach Tony Gustavsson had seen enough. Time for the people's champ to get a run.

And in the 80th minute, Kerr, smiling ear to ear, finally made her way onto the pitch to a giant roar, sprinting no less.

Not six minutes later Kerr got to properly test out her injured calf with a brilliant turn of pace allowing her to blast a shot on goal. Though not on target, it was a clear confidence-booster.

The crowd held their breath when Kerr landed awkwardly in the box with her boot jammed in the turf under a header, but thankfully she shaked off the tumble, and later said it was "nothing".

A standing ovation greeted Foord with her substitution, as the real party kicked off on the full-time whistle, and the Matildas progressed to the quarter-finals at the Women's World Cup, ready to face either France or Morocco.

"The most exciting thing about tonight was seeing Sam Kerr," former Matilda Elise Kellond-Knight said post-game.

"There were so many questions about her fitness. I myself had questions, like why would you put her out there being 2-nil up? But seeing her out there proves she's ready to play in this tournament.

"We know how great a player she is, and she's going to grow in this tournament."

The World Cup is there for the taking for Australia, especially with Kerr back in action, but the Matildas leader isn't going to get carried away just yet.

"Obviously it's the dream [to win the World Cup]," Kerr told reporters.

"We're not going to look too far ahead.

"Both of them [France or Morocco] will be very tricky. Obviously we saw France in Melbourne [friendly], then Morocco we've never played them and they're on a bit of a high at the moment... they're both going to be tough."

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