Soccerboo-hoo! A post-mortem.
The dream is over, the dust has finally settled and soccer is no longer football. Guus Hiddink has farewelled Australian soccer and our national side has disbanded, for the moment anyway. Some say the Socceroos achieved a success far beyond any expectation, but most of us agree that our exit was freakishly similar to a crime of daylight robbery.
There is no doubting Australia was the 'surprise packet' of the world's largest sporting tournament. With a FIFA ranking of 42, the Socceroos were at odds of $1.50 (Betfair) to be eliminated from the World Cup at the completion of the group stage. But like regular 'Aussie battlers' Hiddink had instilled a never-say-die attitude into the heart of every Australian player and remarkably the Socceroos progressed to the second round of the competition.
A last-gasp 3-1 victory against Japan sent the Australian media into a frenzy, all of a sudden soccer was known as football and AFL became Aussie Rules. Melbourne's Federation Square became the Johnny Warren shine of remembrance and 'I told you so' became an instant catchphrase. Brazil beat Australia 2-0, but for some reason, the Socceroos impressed and would need only a draw against Croatia to secure a spot in the second round.
It was a game that will be forever remembered for its controversy and individuality.
The real drama began in the 56th minute, when Socceroos replacement goal-keeper Zeljko Kalac fumbled (perhaps botched) a seemingly simple save off the boot of Niko Kovac.
Kalac appeared to have the weak-shot covered, but allowed the ball to bounce into his grounded body and it squirmed its way into the back of the net. I must admit, in disgust, I switched off my television set and threw the remote control across my room. As I lay in bed, heart pounding, I realised what had just happened. A new 'lay down Sally' had just been born.
Sally Robbins, the famous Australian rower, who dramatically stopped rowing in the concluding stages of a finals event at the 2004 Athens Olympics - had just been replaced by an unlucky Australian goal-keeper named Zeljko Kalac. I could almost picture Robbins celebrating the error as the rest of Australia rued the lacklustre attempt. Begrudgingly, I retrieved my remote control, because I had to hear what SBS commentator Simon Hill had to say. 'What a howler!' was his first remark. 'Could that cost Australia the game?' he asked.
Enter Harry Kewell. Enter a right-foot sent from god.
The equaliser sent millions of Australian fans into pandemonium, but it did not stop English referee Graham Poll from trying his best to thwart the Socceroos' efforts. Poll gave Croatia's Josip Simunic enough cards to play poker, before realising he should be sent from the ground. Three yellow cards were issued to Simunic and not Poll or his assistants managed to raise the alarm. Although this writer has a sneaking suspicion Simunic knew he had received two yellow cards, yet found it necessary to remain on the pitch.
Now fast forward to Australia versus Italy. Italian striker Marco Materazzi had been red-carded and the Azzurri reduced to 10-men for the majority of the second half. But once again a referee would do his best to curb the Socceroos' charge towards World Cup glory. This time, referee Luis Medina Cantalejo ensured he dealt the Australians a knock-out punch. Just eight seconds away from extra time, a situation that would force the Italians to compete for another 30 minutes with one less man, Cantalejo intervened and awarded a dubious penalty for a Lucas Neill challenge on Fabio Grosso. Neill's challenge was messy, that's a fact, but it was far from the reason that Grosso crashed into the Kaiserslautern turf. Like any other player would, Grosso took a dive, but instead of being carded for his Academy Award winning performance, Cantalejo pointed to the spot.
Socceroos' goal-keeper Mark Schwarzer went the right way, but Francesco Totti drove home the heart-breaking end to Australia's world cup campaign.
Forget about whether or not the Socceroos had their chances during the second half, the penalty was wrong and should have never been given. Guus Hiddink, the Socceroos and every Australian soccer fan did not deserve to be thrust from the world's biggest sporting stage in those circumstances. But that's the nature of the beast and the reason we all love our sport.
We can be happy, sad, angry and even sweaty - but at the end of it all, when the whistle blows and the television is switched off we can return to our everyday lives. Our Socceroos created history and have inspired a new generation of Harry Kewell's and Mark Viduka's through the junior ranks of this flourishing sport. Unlike France, Italy, Germany and Portugal - Australia is multi-talented on the sporting stage. We have world champion cricketers, netballers, tennis players, basketballers and swimmers - to name but a few.
So until its time to kick-off in 2010, the glory days of Australian sport are here to stay!
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