Sam Kerr and Kristie Mewis first sparked dating rumors in 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics, when Mewis consoled Kerr after the U.S. women’s national team defeated Australia in the bronze-medal match.
A photo of the opposing players — Mewis, a USWNT forward, and Kerr, an Australian forward — embracing went viral. Soon after, the players revealed they were a couple. These days, Kerr and Mewis are hardly reluctant to share their romance, and after Kerr helped Australia defeat France in the World Cup quarterfinal Saturday, the couple shared a romantic kiss.
#TilitsDone #WWC2023 #Matildas #AUSFRA #FIFAWWCSam Kerr with Kristie Mewis after the Matildas win. ❤️ Beautiful moment pic.twitter.com/ExyVYTcsXy— 👌👑🌟🌶️ (@superking1816) August 12, 2023
#TilitsDone #WWC2023 #Matildas #AUSFRA #FIFAWWCSam Kerr with Kristie Mewis after the Matildas win. ❤️ Beautiful moment pic.twitter.com/ExyVYTcsXy
Kerr suffered a calf injury before the World Cup and had played limited minutes entering the France match. She entered in the 55th minute and provided an immediate boost for her side.
The teams remained knotted at 0 through overtime, sending the game to penalty kicks. Kerr converted her attempt, and Australia won 7-6 in front of its home fans in Suncorp Stadium. She then gifted her jersey to an excited young fan.
Mewis, meanwhile, has remained at the World Cup as a spectator despite USWNT’s exit in the Round of 16. She did not play in the group stage, but entered late in the team’s final game against Sweden. Mewis converted her penalty kick attempt, but it wasn’t enough for the USWNT in the shootout loss.
Now she remains at the tournament to cheer on Kerr, along with the rest of the host country’s fan base.
“I tried to bring energy when I came on, I tried to lift the girls,” Kerr said afterwards. “I kind of think the momentum swung a bit in our favor and that’s what you have to do as a sub.”