Sam Kerr is being hailed a hero by Australians across social media for knocking down a pitch invader during Chelsea's latest match, signalling once more the growing profile of the women's game in the process.
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Chelsea sits top of its group ladder after its 0-0 draw with Juventus in the UEFA Women's Champions League on Thursday morning (AEST), but the hip and shoulder combination by Kerr gained the most attention across social media, with offers from AFLW teams and comparisons to cricketer Andrew Symond's knock being sent Kerr's way.
A man ran onto the pitch minutes before the final whistle at Kingsmeadow Stadium and approached various players before Kerr stepped in. The move earned her a yellow card and another title under her belt from Australians - a hero.
Pitch invaders are another byproduct of the growing profile of the women's game worldwide, but concerns have been raised about the risk to player safety and future security protocols to prevent it.
Prior to Australia's 3-0 loss to the US, fullback Steph Catley - who has been with the national side since her debut in 2012 - confirmed the side's growing profile back home.
"Since I came into the Matildas, it's night and day," she said.
"The amount of people that will pass, and they say 'good luck' and they recognise who you are, they want a photo, they want to talk about the game, it's so different. It just shows how far we've come as a team, and how much the public enjoy watching us.
"We've had lots of people come up to us ... and know so many details about where we're playing individually at a club level. That just shows how far the game's come."
In the same vein, the Matildas returned to their clubs and four players - Kerr, Catley, Caitlin Foord and Lydia Williams - were greeted by 40,942 fans at Wembley for the FA Cup final last weekend.
Kerr scored a brace, and took home player of the match, before lifting the trophy with her teammates to make history.