They were at times nervous, inconsistent, but most importantly dogged as they held on against the former World Cup finalists. An early goal by co-captain Lisa De Vanna proved enough for the Matildas to escape from the hardest group at the tournament. As a match, it was not the revenge many desperately wanted after crashing out in the quarter-finals to Sweden in 2011, but the result will feel as such for a European heavyweight now facing an anxious wait to learn if their Cup dream is over.

Early strike: Lisa De Vanna celebrates her goal against Sweden. Credit:Todd Korol

For Australia, they will travel to the remote and small town of Moncton on the Atlantic coast of Canada where they will face the world's best ever female footballer, Marta, and her rampant Brazilian side.



"I'm very proud of the team," Matildas coach Alen Stajcic said. "It was a tough game, probably wasn't a pretty game to watch but we did enough in the end and the group has just performed so well. Certainly, it gives you so much belief and knowledge that you know you can compete against the best."

The match started brightly for the Australians, who set course for the knock-out rounds in the fifth minute. Defender Laura Alleway will claim she let fly with a perfectly weighted through ball, Sweden will lament being caught out by a long ball but that debate will remain a moot point. What was certain was the end result. The eyes of the nation were on De Vanna but those watching would have thought otherwise as she calmly slotted a one-on-one.

That joy lasted only 10 minutes as the Matildas' dream threatened to unravel. Using her pace to avoid any meaningful pressure from Australian defenders, Sweden striker Sofia Jakobsson showed her class to get her team back into the contest. Strolling through poor defence from Kyah Simon and Steph Catley, Jakobsson unleashed a powerful left-foot drive that beat Matildas goalkeeper Lydia Williams to the corner of the net.