Former Matilda and Lioness Kristy Moore will have her loyalties tested in the FIFA Women’s World Cup semi-final between England and Australia on Wednesday night.
Born in Adelaide, Moore was also eligible to play for England through her English-born mother and appeared for the Matildas seven times and the Lionesses 12.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Dual international Kristy Moore reveals who she’ll be cheering for.
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Appearing on Sunrise on Tuesday, Moore donned an England guernsey and a green and gold scarf.
“I’m in a pretty nice dilemma I guess, having represented both countries,” she said.
“If you are putting me on the spot to make a call, I might have to go … the Aussies.”
Having had to play in an all-boys team growing up, Moore says it’s hard to believe how far the sporting world has come in supporting women in football.
“I think it has been a long time coming, it is so nice to see everything that has happened around this World Cup, coming from a background where I was the only girl year after year playing and constantly being told that girls don’t play soccer.
“I think it’s something that we’ve been able to see for a long time and now, just the rest of the world is seeing it, I think it’s amazing.
“I was in Sydney for the game there they’re experiencing the game there with 75,000 people, I definitely did not see that coming, I expected good support in Australia but I think everything is been beyond expectation.”
After a stressful day last Saturday seeing the Matildas make history in an epic penalty shootout against France and eyeing England’s 2-1 win over Colombia, Moore knows it’s going to be a tough semi-final fight.
“If you look at the games that England have played under Serena, obviously only losing once – but the way that Australia have been playing in this World Cup and with the home support, I think they are definitely in with a really good chance,” she said.
“I think it is always good to be the underdog, it gives you that extra bit of fight and spirit, and I think obviously having the support behind them, that can make a huge difference in a game.
“I think we saw that last year with the Euros in England and how much that did for football over there and that kept the girls going, so I think we can see the same thing here in Australia.“
Mel McLaughlin and Bruce McAvaney are leading Seven’s coverage of the tournament alongside an all-star team of football experts, including Elise Kellond-Knight, Heather Garriock and more.
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