All week, Australian soccer officials have urged the country’s news media and its army of fans to focus on the players healthy enough to take the field for the team representing the tournament co-hosts.
Those efforts have been largely futile, with the fate of star striker Sam Kerr and her injured right calf being the dominant narrative of the country’s World Cup so far.
A victory over Nigeria would have guaranteed a spot in the round of 16, and would have perhaps given some respite and the chance to rest what has become the most talked about calf muscle in Australia for at least one more game.
But a shock defeat to Nigeria, which scored three times after Australia struck first in front of more than 40,000 fans in Brisbane, leaves Australia’s hopes of…