Take the money and run.

The Matildas ground out a 1-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland to open their Women’s World Cup campaign, and a record crowd had the pleasure of being tortured by that slim lead being tested until the final second.

Here’s how the internet reacted.

Since Australia and New Zealand won the right to host the Women’s World Cup, it’s felt at times a little like crawling towards a mirage.

This grand oasis, way off in the distance, and with each step we took, each day marked off the calendar, it was hard to tell if it was really coming closer, really getting bigger, as it shimmered on the horizon.

But tonight after three years of trudging we suddenly arrived, we were here, greeted joyfully by our fellow trudgers, diving into the azure waters, tasting the glistening fruits.

And then the paradise evaporated.

An addendum to the official starting XI tweet just casually broke the news that Sam Kerr would miss the opening two matches with a calf strain — needless to say, the fans took this in stride.

There was barely enough time to process the seven stages of grief before this compelling bout began.

And even quicker it became apparent this football match seemed to be an elaborate stage for a one-on-one running battle of barges between Ireland captain Katie McCabe and Australian firebrand winger Hayley Raso.

McCabe was a sort of roaming terror, that special kind of terrifying opponent who seems to relish the physical mayhem of sporting violence; in another life, McCabe was probably a barbarian warrior charging into bloody battle with a big manic grin on her face.

So around the red flashes of McCabe and Raso butting heads, the football match was very cagey, with Ireland setting up at times a back six, and Australia — shorn of their talismanic striker — spamming diagonal balls, dominating possession, but creating little in the way of clear cut chances.

A hand-wringing half time break came and went, and the second half began in the same vein as the first had ended.

Katrina Gorry had clearly stated her case as the best player on the park, and Mary Fowler had some wonderful moments of technical supremacy in tight space, but these were just appealing garnishes on an as yet lumpen meal.

And then a ball was floated into the box from the left hand flank, and there was Raso scurrying in, ahead of her marker, to meet it.

She was then bundled over from behind, a shove in the back as clearly spotted as it was committed, a stonewall penalty.

Steph Catley stepped up and slotted the penalty sharply, without fuss, seemingly immune to the overwhelming anxiety emanating from the 75,000-strong crowd and millions more at home.

The game had been cracked open by the goal, and after a brief period of Mexican Wave-filled celebrating, the Aussie fans began to sense Ireland emerging from their parked bus and starting to push for an equaliser.

Mackenzie Arnold came to the fore with some telling saves as the game crept into the final stanza, palming some swooping corners away, blocking scuffed shots, and just generally appearing large and in charge of her goal.

The agony of defending a 1-0 lead was eased momentarily when the record crowd figure was confirmed; the most people to watch a women’s football match in this country ever.

Soon the howls of anguish came from the faithful on social media.

The new FIFA policy of tabulating every second of added time, resulting in some unexpectedly long periods, didn’t help.

The whistle sounding was mana from heaven.

Flooded by pure relief, the nervy nature of the win wasn’t totally swamped.

But a win is a win; no Sam Kerr, a feisty upstart opponent sniffing around for an upset, and the weight of a nation, none of it prevented the Matildas from getting their home World Cup off to a winning start.

Let’s hope the next few are a little more comfortable.

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