That’s the final whistle. A bit of a fizzer, that second half - particularly from an Australian perspective, when you consider the two USA goals.

It’s hard to say the visitors don’t deserve that win. But in the fair dinkum department, the Matildas didn’t deserve to lose it 3-0. I guess that’s a reminder that when you’re playing the best team in the world, even minor errors get punished.

There were some really positive signs for the Matildas to take away from this contest - that period towards the end of the first half when they peppered the American goal was quality. It’s a different game, obviously, if they don’t concede after just 24 seconds.

The reality is, sadly, there is a fairly big gap between the top women’s teams on the planet and the Matildas. The question is can they bridge that gap in the next 600 days, before the 2023 Women’s World Cup begins? I don’t have the answer. Neither does Tony Gustavsson. We’ll have to wait and see.