Culture

Sam Kerr Just Became The First Australian To Score Four Goals In A World Cup Game, And We Stan

Her grandmother predicted the result right before the game.

by Sam Langford  19 June 2019
sam kerr

Want more Junkee in your life? Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram and Facebook so you always know where to find us.

This morning, Matildas captain Sam Kerr became the first Australian to score a hat trick at a FIFA World Cup. Then she scored a fourth goal, because she’s Sam Kerr.

Those four goals carried the Matildas to a win over Jamaica, securing Australia a place in the final 16. The entire team are legends — the Socceroos, by comparison, did not win a single game at last year’s men’s World Cup despite being paid much more — but this is a Sam Kerr appreciation post, because she’s earned it.

Kerr’s four (4!!) goals come just a few days after she told haters to “suck on that” following the Matildas’ extraordinary victory over Brazil. While she’s happy to have a brag on behalf of the team, though, she’s typically pretty humble after her own goals, and today was no exception.

Related
"Suck On That": Please Enjoy Sam Kerr Shutting Down Critics Following The Matildas' Win

“It’s a team effort, it wasn’t just about me today,” she said in a post-game interview, adding that she wasn’t actually all that happy with the first half of the game and is keen to do better in future.

And when she was asked what the most inspiring moment of the World Cup so far has been, she pointed to the moment when Thailand scored their first ever World Cup goal.

“When Thailand scored the goal, it was an amazing thing to see the emotion for them, and how much it meant to them, and it kind of gave me that extra bit of pride walking out for my country, seeing how much it meant to another country to just score at a World Cup.”

It’s pretty safe to say that everyone loves Sam Kerr and the Matildas right now (and if you don’t, get on board!!). Jamaica’s coach called her the best player in the world before the game even began, and he’s not exaggerating — only two women have ever scored more goals in a single World Cup match.

And if you’re not emotional yet, here’s an interview with Kerr’s grandmother from just before the game, where she predicted a hat trick from Kerr.

“I’m tremendously proud of her, I couldn’t be any more proud. She’s just fantastic, absolutely amazing girl,” she told Optus Sport. “I keep asking her when she’s going to stop getting awards.”

She also shared that she catches up with Sam after every World Cup game, which rules. What a legend.