- Tony Gustavsson was not happy with a goal conceded by the Matildas
- The VAR intervened but the referee on the field still gave the goal
- The Matildas coach was given a yellow card for his protests.
The Matildas’ tenacious defense was finally breached in the final blows of a tense first half against Team USA on Wednesday.
But it’s safe to say Tony Gustavsson wasn’t happy about it.
Trinity Rodman headed the ball in at the far post following a corner, but the VAR asked the referee to look at the monitor due to an apparent offside infringement in the play.
However, the man behind the whistle chose not to change his decision on the field and awarded the goal to the Americans.
Gustavsson, whose future with the Matildas is clouded by uncertainty, was furious on the sidelines, such was his anger at the decision.
He received a yellow card for his problems just before half-time.
Tony Gustavsson was left furious by a refereeing decision that went against the Matildas.
Mackenzie Arnold was at her best to keep the United States at bay for much of the opening 45 minutes with Australia’s place in the tournament at stake.
The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage, as do the two best third-place finishers, and with the Matildas in third place behind the USA and Germany, they need a positive result to have a strong chance of qualifying.
They were unable to do so and the United States won 2-1.
Gustavsson’s side were dominated by four-time champions the United States at the sweltering Stade de Marseille on Wednesday night, finishing third in Group B with just three points.
The Australians had to wait anxiously to find out whether they would make it to the knockout stage as one of the two best third-placed teams in the group.
Their fate will not be known until the final two Group A matches conclude on Wednesday. If Canada beat Colombia, the Matildas will be on their way home.
Another question is whether they deserve to reach the quarter-finals after an unconvincing campaign that began with a 3-0 thrashing by Germany at the same stadium in Marseille.