Instead Australia came good. From the moment in the opening minutes when forward Mary Fowler charged down Canada defender Kadeisha Buchanan, the 27,000-strong Melbourne crowd were roaring their team along.
They erupted as Hayley Raso gave them the lead, even more so when Fowler appeared to have doubled the score. That joy turned to boos as the video assistant referee disallowed it for offside following a lengthy check.
It meant that when Raso did double the lead, there was a delayed reaction as fans did not want to be fooled again. It was only when Canada restarted the game that the real roar came.
By the end when Steph Catley made it four from the penalty spot, Melbourne was in pure party mode.
Last summer England – who could be Australia’s last-16 opponents depending on results – capitalised on hosting Euro 2022 with a tournament victory which has changed how women’s football is seen in their country. The Matildas could still have their Lionesses moment.
The supporters certainly think so. Those in the Melbourne fan zone before the game say just hosting the World Cup has already had an impact on how women’s football is perceived in Australia.
“Even if they don’t win tonight, it has shown the world how much Australia is getting behind them,” fan Simone Campbell told BBC Sport.
“Australia has all these sports, sometimes football gets pushed to the side, but events like this have shown there is interest.
“Look at Sydney where there was 80,000 people, tonight there will be another huge crowd. Australia have shown the Matildas they have a huge fanbase, more than what they expected.”
“It’s a great time to be a young woman in football in Australia,” 16-year-old Claire Downie said. “From three or four years ago I’ve seen huge improvements, heaps more people engaged in women’s football over the last few years.”
Even if they went out to Canada, has this tournament made enough of an impact?
“Hell yeah,” Downie said. “Having a World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, that’s crazy for us.”