A cursory glimpse at the current Australian squad reveals the United States as by far the most popular destination for the 2019 crop of Matildas, with star striker Sam Kerr one of 13 players in Ante Milicic’s travelling party to ply their trade in the traditional home of the professional women’s game.

But a deeper look into each player’s history reveals a team with more than a passing knowledge of Saturday’s opponents, with Chloe Logarzo and Aivi Luik among a handful of players to have spent time in the Norwegian Toppserien.

Despite back-to-back wins, Milicic believes the Matildas are yet to peak in France, calling on them to dominate the game against a Norwegian outfit he rates highly.

On the same Stade de Nice pitch where Iceland memorably eliminated England from UEFA Euro 2016, the Australian boss believes a full-hearted embrace of his game plan is the best way to avoid another Scandinavian success story.

Japan, Australia and China PR all progressed from difficult groups to advance to the Round of 16, where the trio – who finished as the top three sides in last year’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup – will push for greater honours on the game’s biggest stage.

The prolific 25-year-old was stunning in Australia’s 4-1 win over the Reggae Girlz, scoring two headers in the first-half, before finding the back of the net twice more with her left foot after the break.

In doing so, Kerr not only joined United States forward Alex Morgan, with five goals, on the top of the tournament’s scoring charts but became the first Australian player to score a World Cup hat-trick.

She is also the first player, man or woman, from any AFC nation to hit the back of the net four times in a senior World Cup match.

The Matildas victory means they will now meet Norway in the Round of 16, after they finished in second place on the group table, narrowly ahead of Brazil, who beat Italy 1-0 in the other Group C match.

Kerr scored twice in each half to help the Matildas to their second successive win, with her sensational display taking her level with Alex Morgan as the competition’s top scorer on five goals.

The tagline comes as part of a nationwide celebration of Australia’s win over the South Americans, which has included major press outlets, football icons and political leaders.

The Matildas were down, and potentially on the way out, when facing a 2-0 deficit just prior to half-time, but goals to Caitlin Foord and Chloe Logarzo, and an own goal from Brazilian defender Monica completed a spectacular recovery.

In a match which has been dubbed the ‘Miracle of Montpellier’, Australia were staring down the barrel of a shock group stage exit when Cristiane put the South Americans 2-0 up in the 38th minute, but, against all the odds, they emerged with all three points.

Caitlin Foord pulled a goal back just before half time, before Player of the Match Chloe Logarzo levelled the tie in the 58th minute, with a VAR-influenced own goal from Brazilian defender Monica ultimately completing a remarkable recovery.