Football is unequivocally a game of interpretation. Part of its enduring appeal is that any fan could watch the same match and at its completion arrive at utterly different conclusions.

Did the Matildas fail spectacularly in their opening match? Or was the story of the day Italy’s? And if the whistle blew sixty seconds earlier, do both of those narratives alter dramatically?

To tell the story of Italy’s dramatic 2-1 Group C victory with Le Azzurre as anything else but the protagonists feels frankly disrespectful.

Bundled out of the 2017 European Championship after finishing bottom of their group, Milena Bertolini was under no illusions as to the job ahead of her upon her appointment as head coach in August 2017: for twenty years Italy had failed to even qualify for a World Cup.

Asked in the post-match press conference if she remembered watching the trailblazing team of 1999 or whether she was inspired by them, match-winner Barbara Bonansea was brutally candid.

“I didn’t watch them. In 1999 I didn’t even know what women’s football was about.”

Overcoming institutionalised machismo, women’s football has exploded in Italy in the past few years, but the sudden renaissance is anchored in fertile soils. Bertolini herself is a classic “overnight success”, decades in the making. A thoughtful, softly-spoken coach, the former Brescia boss won the Serie A’s top individual coaching accolade six times before she earned the right to lead the national team.

For the 52-year-old, the historic win was a culmination of many factors, but none more so than the sheer determination of a group of athletes to create something special.

“Team spirit made the difference in the second half,” Bertolini told reporters post-match. “We suffered – it is wrong to think we would play against Australia and not suffer – but our team spirit came through.”

Like Zambia at the 2012 African Cup of Nations, sometimes a group of players come together to create something far greater than themselves. The narrative becomes irresistible, in retrospect almost pre-ordained.

To see the passion with which Elena Linari belted out the Italian national anthem pre-game was something special. And it was the Atlético centre back who rose at the far post in the 95th minute ready to head home an unlikely winner – except that teammate Bonansea was just ahead of her, fired with the same intent.

Not that Ante Milicic should escape scrutiny for a result that, with the talent at his disposal, cannot be seen as anything else than a major setback.

Of the die-with-your-wounds-in-front-of-you school of thought, Milicic’s inclination for attacking football would always have suited the Italian game plan. He knew they would look to hit in transition, he knew they would look to slow the play – but the former Socceroos assistant simple will not countenance asking his chargers to play any other way.

With 17 attempts on goal to five, 57% possession, and 347 completed passes to 133, there’s an argument to say Australia’s general plan was executed pretty well against Italy. But the ease with which Italy created meaningful chances against the Matildas, following as it does from heavy friendly losses, is a source of serious consternation.

Before fans hit the panic button though it’s worth reflecting that two individual errors from two of Australia’s most experienced players decided this contest. As sucker-punch losses go, an against the run of play turnover and a deep-into-injury time set piece is a pretty formidable one-two combo.

Had it finished 1-1 the sophisticated attacking patterns of play, Caitlin Foord’s clever step-overs and movements deep to receive the ball in space, Ellie Carpenter and Hayley Raso’s interplay down the right to isolate wide defenders and create 2-v-1s – all these may have featured in post-game analyses.

Bertolini identified at half time that Australia were enjoying far too much space in wide areas. She started the game with a three-player midfield that was very narrow, but brought Elisa Bartoli into the contest at left back to spare Alia Guagni from another 45 minutes of torment and reverted to a 4-4-2 that saw Italy’s wingers increasingly pin back Australia’s fullbacks, or get behind them in their absence.

Did Italy’s increasing second-half belief stem from a tactical change, or from the players’ own sense of the occasion? It depends on your interpretation.

For Milicic and the Matildas, it’s far from tournament over – although nobody will pretend that an opening round loss was anything but a huge setback.

“We created enough chances there to win the game, we dominated enough possession but didn’t capitalise on that,” said Milicic post-game. “At times we gave the ball away too easily. We just need to be a little bit more brave, a little bit more composed on the ball.

“We need to shift the focus to Brazil and see what personnel will best suit us for that game. We have the potential to get through to the next stage, it’s just that now we’ve decided to go the long way about it and the hard way about it.

“Maybe that’s just the Australian way, so we’ll stare it straight in the eyes and we’ll go for it.”

With the potential for up to three teams to get through the group, the obituaries for the 2019 campaign are a little premature. But should the Matildas come up short against Brazil in Montpellier not even the most charitable of interpretations will keep the knives unsheathed.