Matildas make history in unbelievable World Cup thriller

In a pulsating and tense affair in front of a packed crowd at Suncorp Stadium, neither side could be split through 120 minutes of football, meaning it took a shootout to decide the winner by 0-0 (7-6 on penalties) in a clash that will go down as an instant classic.

Going into the quarter-final showdown, all eyes were always going to fall on one woman: Sam Kerr. And there will be plenty of questions placed on coach Tony Gustavsson, after he waited until the second half to inject the Aussie skipper into the game.

Kerr was kept on the bench until the 55^th minute, presumably because Tony Gustavsson and his coaching staff didn't believe she could get through a full game. As such, the risk of starting Kerr was not worth it.

On the flip side, it mean that Australia didn't have one of the world's best players to finish the golden opportunities that arrived in the first half. And while Mary Fowler is a brilliant player, she is no Sam Kerr.

Gustavsson gambled and wanted to make sure that his ace in the pack was available at the end, but was she needed from the outset?

When Kerr was injected from the bench 10 minutes into the second half, the impact was felt immediately - both on the field, and from the noise level of 50,000 screaming fans in Brisbane.

France had looked the more settled side in the opening half, though both teams were forced to rue some missed opportunities.

France were able to control possession early and look more likely to score inside the opening 15 minutes, while the hosts looked a bit shaky at the back.

An errant clearance from Alanna Kennedy opened the door for Kadidiatou Diani to get a shot on goal, with her attempt sliding past the goalmouth. However, France continued to pile on the pressure by forcing a couple of corners, including one which led to a mad scramble inside Australia's box, with the ball falling to the feet of Maëlle Lakrar, who couldn't keep her shot down.

While the Matildas slowly wrestled back some control, their opponents looked deadly on the counter-attack. Aussie fans held their breath when Eugenie Le Sommer found space through the middle, with a deflection off Kennedy fortunately stopped by Mackenzie Arnold.

Minutes later, it was Arnold who proved the hero again, saving a Lakrar attempt from close range.

Late in the half, a mix-up at the back set up a golden opportunity for Matildas rising star Mary Fowler to have a shot on an open goal. However, French defender Élisa De Almeida's desperate lunge on the line denied Australia.

Fowler continued to look ominous, with a wonderful through-ball from Katrina Gorry allowing her to get one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but Pauline Peyraud Magnin proved up to the task.

The score remained 0-0 at halftime.

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The Matildas looked energised early in the second stanza, with Fowler in particular looking threatening in their front third.

There was a huge roar in the 55^th minute when Kerr was injected into the match. And the skipper made an immediate impact, scorching her way down the middle of the field before the ball was flicked back to Hayley Raso, who was denied by a diving Peyraud Magnin.

Minutes later, Fowler had another golden opportunity inside the box, which hit the goalkeeper and ricocheted away. Kerr and Kennedy also missed some chances inside the box.

However, after absorbing so much pressure, France began to wrestle back some control and get their fair share of opportunities. There was a moment of controversy when Clare Hunt appeared to do an accidental handball inside Australia's box, but play was called on.

Heading into the final stages of regular time, it was still anyone's game, and both teams became increasingly desperate in their pursuit of that elusive first goal.

However, the sides couldn't be split, with the game forced into extra time to decide a winner.

France continued to press hard in the early stages of extra time, but Australia's defence was able to hold firm.

Fans right across Australia held their breath in the 100th minute when France appeared to have finally produced the breakthrough goal via a Kennedy own goal. However, the referee immediately blew the whistle for French captain Wendie Renard dragging down Caitlin Foord inside the box.

At the other end, with minutes left in the first half of extra time, Foord put through a wonderful cross for substitute Cortnee Vine, who just put the ball wide of the near post.

But the sides still couldn't be split by the 105^th minute.

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France came firing out of the blocks in the second stanza of ET, with a superb blast from substitute Vicki Becho only denied by a diving Arnold.

Soon after, a dangerous cross from Grace Geyoro was parried away by Arnold, with the Aussie defence then scrambling to get the ball out of their box.

Both teams continued to pepper their opponents' defence, as fatigue increasingly became a factor in the dying stages of the match. However, neither side was able to get that breakthrough goal, meaning the match went into a penalty shootout.

The drama then continued in the shootout, with both sides missing some huge opportunities to secure victory.

The key moment occurred with the scoreboard reading 6-6, with Becho's attempt sliding wide of the goals. Vine then made no mistake soon after, as the Matildas prevailed to keep their campaign alive.