Australia edges France on penalties to reach Women's World Cup semifinals for 1st time

Australia edged France on penalty kicks Saturday to reach the Women's World Cup semifinals for the first time.

Cortnee Vine took Australia's 10th penalty from the spot and calmly converted to give the Matildas a 7-6 win in the shootout after the quarterfinal match finished 0-0 after regulation and extra time.

The Australians missed two earlier chances to clinch the dramatic shootout but ultimately it didn't matter as they ended a long curse for tournament hosts. The Australians became the only team other than the United States to advance past the quarterfinals of a Women's World Cup as the host nation.

Australian goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold kept the Matildas in the game in extra time and made a string of clutch saves in the shootout — before and after missing with her own attempt that could have sealed the win.

"I'm just speechless right now to be honest," Arnold said, adding that the missed shot was "incredibly disappointing" but the eventual win was "unreal."

Australia will play either England or Colombia next Wednesday in Sydney for a spot in the final.

Australia had lost all three of its previous quarterfinals at Women's World Cups and went into the knockout game under intense pressure knowing that six of the previous hosts were eliminated at the quarterfinal stage, including France in 2019. Australia is co-hosting the tournament with New Zealand.

The French were playing in the quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive time but its only win remains its first, beating England on penalties in 2011 and placing fourth. A 2-1 loss to eventual the eventual champion U.S. team finished off their home tournament four years ago.