<\/p>\n
Ellie Carpenter\u2019s face said it all.<\/p>\n
The Matildas and the rest of Australia held their collective breath as Cortnee Vine walked up to the penalty spot and then erupted as she calmly dispatched the ball into the back of the net.<\/p>\n
Vine\u2019s shot sealed a thrilling 7-6 shootout win<\/a> and sent Australia into the semi-finals of the World Cup for the first time.<\/p>\n The shootout was a rollercoaster of emotions as the usually rock solid Steph Catley had her shot saved, Sam Kerr got redemption<\/a>, Mackenzie Arnold hit the woodwork but managed to put the miss behind her to pull off countless clutch saves.<\/p>\n So when Vine sealed the thrilling win, the whole of Australia released a massive build up of tension and celebrated in style.<\/p>\n No one quite summed up the tense rollercoaster like Carpenter, who had every emotion written across her face as the Matildas sprinted off the centre line to mob Vine.<\/p>\n On the verge of tears, Carpenter hugged her teammates before quickly turning to Arnold and pointing at the goalkeeper in recognition that they couldn\u2019t have won without her.<\/p>\n Just like fans around the country<\/a>, Australia\u2019s star right back was experiencing the full range of emotions all at once \u2014 relief, pride, jubilation and excitement.<\/p>\n Football journalist David Davutovic said on the ABC\u2019s Offsiders<\/i> program: \u201cOne of my favourite shots was a still just after Cortnee Vine put it away and you could see all the players racing to her. <\/p>\n \u201cEllie Carpenter had this contorted face, just this sheer look of delight and emotion. Just extraordinary scenes.\u201d<\/p>\n Images of the Matildas sprinting to celebrate were reminiscent of John Aloisi\u2019s 2005 penalty against Uruguay that sent the Socceroos to the 2006 World Cup.<\/p>\n Carpenter was Australia\u2019s youngest athlete at the Rio Olympics and the 23-year-old been symbolic of the new generation of Matildas stars that includes Vine, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Mary Fowler and Charli Grant \u2014 to name a few.<\/p>\n The speedy defender has quickly become a fan favourite for her style of play and wearing her heart on her sleeve.<\/p>\n Carpenter was tasked with taking a penalty against France and celebrated hard when her shot went in.<\/p>\n She was also involved in one of the most heartwarming moments of the World Cup<\/a> when she gave Danish striker Signe Bruun a hug and swapped jerseys with her after Australia beat Denmark 2-0 in the round of 16.<\/p>\n