English
When it comes to sport, 2023 was the year of the Matildas.
The 2023 Women's World Cup was the first senior football World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand - and the community responded in kind, with record crowds and an astonishing surge of support for the Australian women.
It didn't come without some bumps along the way.
Australia lost captain and star striker Sam Kerr with an injury just hours before the tournament with an injury that would keep her out for the entire group stage.
Perhaps not unsurprisingly, the group stage was a struggle for Australia.
An unconvincing win over the Republic of Ireland, followed by a shock loss to Nigeria, led to Australia needing a victory over Cananda in the final group stage game to avoid a humiliating group stage elimination.
It proved to be the turning point for the Australians.
They thrashed Canada, the reigning Olympic champions, four-nil.
Hayley Raso scored two of the goals, saying the team lifted in a big moment.
"Yes, it means so much to us. I'm so proud of the girls. We put in a real shift tonight. Everybody fought for each other and to come away with a pretty convincing win is very exciting. ... I think we had our backs against the walls after last game and we knew that we needed to come out and put in a big performance. We knew we needed to when we wanted to top the group and yeah, we showed that 'never say die' attitude and we gave it our all tonight."
From there, it just got bigger and bigger, with a Round of 16 win over Denmark in Sydney followed by a penalty shootout quarter-final victory over France in Brisbane.
Cortnee Vine was the hero of that match, having scored the winning penalty.
It set up a semi-final with England in Sydney, where the returned Kerr scored the goal of the temporary draw.
But all good things must come to an end... and two goals in the space of 16 minutes from England ended the Matildas' dream.
A fourth-place finish gave the nation so many thrills and, so coach Tony Gustavsson said, a bedrock for the future of football in this country, too.
“Obviously it's a bit emotional to sit here and talk about that when you lose a semi final. I hate to lose. But I've said it before, it's bigger than 90-minute football. We're very disappointed that we lost, but hopefully, we won something else. We won the heart and the passion for this game and this country. But I agree with the players. This is not the end of something, this needs to be the start of something. And with that comes money as well."
Australian cricket had a massive year, too.
The men's side beated India in London in June to win the World Test Championship for the first time.
And, to top it all off, they won the 50-over World Cup for the sixth time, defeating host nation India in an upset in the final.
That was highlighted by a century by batsman Travis Head, as was the World Test Championship final win.
Captain Pat Cummins reflected upon how the South Australian epitomises his ideal player.
"Trav, the player we've seen in test cricket, he epitomises everything I want out of a cricket team. He takes the game on, he plays with a smile and he just puts the pressure right back onto the opposition and he's just great fun to be around so I couldn't be happier for Trav."
In 2024, the Aussie men will try and take the only global title they don't currently hold - the Twenty World Cup, when it is held in the Caribbean.
Australia's women's side continued their reign over world cricket in 2023, as well, by retaining the women's Ashes after keeping their Twenty20 World Cup title in South Africa in February.
Opening bat Beth Mooney reflected on Australia's dominance in the rapidly developing world of women's cricket.
"I've played in a lot of teams. I think it probably starts within yourself more so than anything, rather than worrying about what other people do. But it's a tough question to answer. I think if I give too much away, we might start getting beaten. But the good part of the game is that every team is evolving at a rapid pace and the game is evolving at a rapid pace too. So I am really excited for what is to come - and the challenges that are ahead of us."
Italian
Quando si parla di sport, il 2023 è stato l'anno delle Matildas.
La Coppa del Mondo femminile del 2023 è stata la prima Coppa del Mondo di calcio senior a svolgersi in Australia e Nuova Zelanda, e la comunità ha risposto in modo positivo, con un'affluenza di pubblico record e un'impennata sorprendente di sostegno alle donne australiane.
Non sono però mancate le difficoltà lungo il percorso.
A poche ore dall'inizio del torneo, l'Australia ha perso la capitana e attaccante Sam Kerr per un infortunio che l'avrebbe tenuta fuori per tutta la fase a gironi.
Forse non a caso, la fase a gironi è stata difficile per l'Australia.
Una vittoria poco convincente contro la Repubblica d'Irlanda, seguita da una sconfitta shock contro la Nigeria, ha portato l'Australia ad avere bisogno di una vittoria contro il Cananda nell'ultima partita della fase a gironi per evitare un'umiliante eliminazione dalla fase a gironi.
La partita si è rivelata il punto di svolta per gli australiani.
Hanno sconfitto il Canada, campione olimpico in carica, per quattro a zero.
Hayley Raso ha segnato due dei quattro gol, dicendo che la squadra si è risollevata in un momento importante.
"Yes, it means so much to us. I'm so proud of the girls. We put in a real shift tonight. Everybody fought for each other and to come away with a pretty convincing win is very exciting. ... I think we had our backs against the walls after last game and we knew that we needed to come out and put in a big performance. We knew we needed to when we wanted to top the group and yeah, we showed that 'never say die' attitude and we gave it our all tonight."
Da lì in poi, le cose sono migliorate sempre di più, con una vittoria negli ottavi di finale contro la Danimarca a Sydney seguita da una vittoria ai rigori nei quarti di finale contro la Francia a Brisbane.
Cortnee Vine fu l'eroina di quella partita, realizzando il rigore vincente.
Quel gol valse la semifinale con l'Inghilterra a Sydney, in cui una rientrante Kerr segnò il gol del momentaneo pareggio.
Ma tutte le cose belle devono finire... e due gol dell'Inghilterra nel giro di 16 minuti misero fine al sogno delle Matildas.
Il quarto posto finale ha regalato alla nazione tante emozioni e, come ha detto l'allenatore Tony Gustavsson, una base per il futuro del calcio in questo Paese.
“Obviously it's a bit emotional to sit here and talk about that when you lose a se mi final. I hate to lose. But I've said it before, it's bigger than 90-minute football. We're very disappointed that we lost, but hopefully, we won something else. We won the heart and the passion for this game and this country. But I agree with the players. This is not the end of something, this needs to be the start of something. And with that comes money as well."
Anche il cricket australiano ha vissuto un anno straordinario.
La squadra maschile ha battuto l'India a Londra a giugno e vinto per la prima volta il World Test Championship.
E per finire, hanno vinto per la sesta volta la Coppa del Mondo 50-over, sconfiggendo in finale la nazione ospitante, l'India, con una rimonta finale.
La vittoria è stata caratterizzata da un century del battitore Travis Head.
Il capitano Pat Cummins ha riflettuto sul modo in cui il giocatore del South Australia incarni il suo giocatore ideale.
"Trav, the player we've seen in test cricket, he epitomises everything I want out of a cricket team. He takes the game on, he plays with a smile and he just puts the pressure right back onto the opposition and he's just great fun to be around so I couldn't be happier for Trav."
Nel 2024, gli australiani cercheranno di conquistare l'unico titolo mondiale che attualmente non detengono: la Twenty20 World Cup, che si disputerà nei Caraibi.
La squadra femminile australiana ha continuato il suo regno sul cricket mondiale anche nel 2023, conservando le Ashes femminili dopo aver mantenuto il titolo della Coppa del Mondo Twenty20 in Sudafrica a febbraio.
La battitrice di apertura Beth Mooney ha riflettuto sul dominio australiano nel mondo del cricket femminile, in rapida evoluzione.
"I've played in a lot of teams. I think it probably starts within yourself more so than anything, rather than worrying about what other people do. But it's a tough question to answer. I think if I give too much away, we might start getting beaten. But the good part of the game is that every team is evolving at a rapid pace and the game is evolving at a rapid pace too. So I am really excited for what is to come - and the challenges that are ahead of us."
Report by SBS News
