The run continues! The Matildas dispatched Denmark 2-0 in their round of 16 match in Sydney, and the internet was in raptures watching on.

Many Australian football fans spent Sunday night revelling in the schadenfreude equivalent of drinking undiluted cordial, as the USA was sensationally knocked out of the World Cup in one of football's greatest ever penalty shootouts.

On Monday morning, those same sticky-mouthed Aussie fans had to reckon with the fate of their own team.

The nation's politicians did their best to wish their wells to the Matildas, some more coherently than others.

As the day went on, the nerves began to fray.

As evening fell, the anxiety rose.

And with kick-off in sight, the faithful marched toward Stadium Australia, their drum beating along with the thud that was knocking in the national chest.

The starting XI was unchanged from the 4-0 win over Canada, that same hybrid attacking quartet of Fowler, Foord, Raso and van Egmond.

Sam Kerr, with that enigmatic calf, was on the bench.

England helpfully eased the tension by winning their earlier round-of-16 match against Nigeria in a penalty shootout.

The match kicked off.

The Danes started with bite, snapping into tackles, skidding a low shot at Mackenzie Arnold, then, later, curling a perfect cross that Rikke Madsen met but could only scuff wide — all warning shots.

Danish captain Pernille Harder was taking up positions between the lines, and turning and driving through the Matildas' defensive half like a pneumatic drill, and once a pilot hole was drilled, subsequent sojourns bored through even more smoothly.

The Matildas were rocking back … then they burst forward.

A Danish move broke down, and Fowler was fed the ball and given time to turn in midfield.

What came next was extraordinary; a divine pass, angled perfectly through a sea of red shirts, to a streaking Foord, running in behind.

Foord scythed in, defender on her shoulder, and finished through the legs of the keeper. 1-0, a counter attack of extreme precision and stunning simplicity.

Denmark were rattled. Passes that were previously tidily steered and calmly controlled were now a bit jerky and clammy, clapping off the feet, and skidding past their mark. A deficit can do that.

And, now armed with the lead, Australia's defensive stance also took on a new complexion, a steely coiled spring, ready to lunge forward if Denmark pushed too hard for an equaliser. This was the stance that mortally wounded Canada in Melbourne, and it's one the Matildas adopt with relish.

The sight of Sam Kerr smiling on the bench ushered in the half-time break.

The second half began with the teams exchanging tentative runs forward, although no clear chances to speak of, with the final ball mostly over-hit hit and swept up.

Denmark were getting a grip on the game, and the restless faithful were craning their necks, getting a look at the Australian substitutes that might enter the fray — OK, one of the substitutes.

Denmark brought two fresh players on, van Egmond nearly flicked in a heeled finish from a Foord cross; the game was seesawing and in need of one of these teams to place a firm hand on it. 

Sam Kerr was seen changing into her playing kit. Hearts fluttered.

Then the blinding moment: a move involving Fowler and Cooney-Cross worked its way up the left.

Fowler had the ball on the edge of the area, swivelled one way, then the other, then clipped a ball inside, and it fell to van Egmond. She laid it back for Raso, who struck with a golden boot, sending it skidding past the Danish keeper into the corer.

Kerr wasn't on, and the Tillies had doubled the lead. She may not be needed after all.

The stadium went wild. A sumptuous move of interplay, and poise, and patience. 

Then Kerr arrived, stepping onto the home World Cup field for the first time.

The talisman out of the cupboard and into the light.

And the roar from the 75,000 fans that greeted her was one for the ages, a roar that had been kept in reserve but now poured out of the soul, a roar only a hero can inspire.

Denmark were slightly overcome, by the occasion, by the noise raining down from the stands, by the Matildas' speed and venom on the counter.

Sam Kerr shot high and wide; the crowd loved it.

Sam Kerr fell awkwardly on the turf; the crowd held its breath.

The Danish were pushing, but half-heartedly, looking flaky and overcooked as the 90th minute approached.

With the cushion of a second goal, the five minutes of added time were serenely seen out; there was even time for Caitlin Foord to be give a standing ovation as she was substituted.

The final whistle rang out. The Matildas are World Cup quarterfinalists.

They've scored six goals and conceded none in their last two games. 

The Matildas' sails are billowing, with record crowds in every venue filling them up, blowing them ever forward.

The oomph behind the Matildas' World Cup run is undeniable now. They are striding in the knockout stages. And what a confident stride it is.