MELBOURNE : When Australia gave a warm welcome to all nations in the leadup to the Women's World Cup, the co-hosts may never have imagined the guests kicking them out of their own party before it truly gets going.Yet that is the scenario the Matildas face after Thursday's disastrous 3-2 loss to low-ranked Nigeria which has left them on the brink of an humiliating group stage exit.Tony Gustavsson's side have long spoken of themselves as genuine contenders, ready to ride a wave of home support deep into the tournament and leave a legacy to inspire generations of women footballers.Instead, their campaign will be over in two days if they fail against Canada in their final group match on Monday.Australia can still pull themselves out of the fire with a victory over the Olympic champions and laugh about all the drama later.If winless and eliminated Ireland beat Nigeria in the other Group B clash, the co-hosts could even sneak through to the knockout phase by holding the Canadians to a draw.But with captain Sam Kerr and other team mates no certainty to face Canada, optimism was on the wane in the nation's media on Friday."If the Matildas go out ...
it should not only end Gustavsson’s tenure, but raise questions over the footballing credentials of Football Australia for backing him in this far," soccer journalist Vince Rugari wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald.Swede Gustavsson's 2020 signing as head coach was touted as a coup for the Matildas who have long aspired to be among the heavyweights but never passed the quarter-finals of a World Cup.A long-term assistant to former United States coach Jill Ellis, Gustavsson was lauded for his work during the Americans' back-to-back World Cup triumphs in 2015-19.Turning Australia into