Barnaby Joyce red-faced after embarrassing Matildas mistake at the pub

Mr Joyce claimed he watched the match on Saturday with millions of others – but was quickly caught-out on live TV.

Joe Attanasio
·Senior Reporter
Updated ·3-min read

Australia's former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce has been left red-faced after making an unthinkable mistake over the weekend when millions of his fellow compatriots were tuned in to watch the Matildas' World Cup quarterfinal.

Joyce thought he was among them, until he later realised how wrong he was.

On Channel 7's Sunrise program on Monday morning, the former Nationals leader was discussing the team's historic win against France when he admitted he'd somehow watched the wrong game while down at the pub.

Sunrise cohost Natalie Barr pictured laughing after Joyce said he watched the wrong Matildas game.
Sunrise co-host Natalie Barr was left in hysterics after Mr Joyce's embarrassing admission on live TV. Source: Sunrise.

On Saturday night, the current shadow minister for veterans affairs took to social media to post footage of himself watching what he thought was the live match between Australia and France. But it turned out to be a replay of an earlier friendly match.It appears it took him some time to realise he was watching a re-run, admitting to Sunrise co-host Natalie Barr that in the match he watched the Matildas had won at full time.

"I think we were watching the wrong game," Mr Joyce said.

"I think they'd put on a repeat, because it was on Channel 10 - I don't think it was the right one."

A bewildered Ms Barr responded: "Barnaby, just to let you know, the Matildas won", to which Mr Joyce replied: "I know, it was an incredible penalty shootout which we never – we went and had dinner because we thought they'd won 1-nil."

The match on the screen during Mr Joyce's video clearly shows the game being played at a stadium in Melbourne, not Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium where Saturday's match was held.

Staff at the Commercial Hotel in Walcha confirmed to Guardian Australia that Mr Joyce had indeed watched the wrong game.

"We hadn’t even realised until today that it was the wrong match. The crowd didn’t notice either, it’s been news to us," a staff member told the publication.

Why the hotel showed the older match is unclear. Network 10 confirmed to Yahoo News it did not air a replay of the match from July 14 over the weekend.

The trailblazing win captivated the nation on Saturday night and hit nationwide viewership numbers not seen since the 2000 Olympic Games.

After defeating France in a nail-biting penalty shootout, the Matildas will now take on England on Wednesday in the semi-finals at 8.00pm.

Read the latest about the Matildas' World Cup campaign ahead of Wednesday's semi-final:

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