"The fairytale won't happen": Australia is out of the World Cup
Australia fell 1-3 to England's Lionesses in Sydney tonight, ending a historic run for the last host standing in the 2023 World Cup
— Sydney, Australia
There is something oddly enchanting about showing up in a new city and falling immediately into its rhythms, syncing into the commuting crowd as they funnel to the bar, to the cafe, to the metro after work. All the better when the weather is nice, there remains a slight bit of light, and everyone (and I mean quite nearly everyone) is dressed up in the gold of their beloved Matildas.
That’s how I found Sydney today when I first showed up, arriving just in time for a rather memorable semi-final. England vs Australia. The highest stakes.
Scarves. Shirts. Hats. Buses. The front of papers. The front of stores. Everywhere, the signs of a major moment covered Sydney with its hopeful heart. Everywhere, the mounting belief that this Aussie dream-machine would continue poured through.
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