Ecstasy, then Agony

Well I will start with the great night against Croatia before I get onto what happened last night.

The Croatia match was something to behold for Australian sport. It had it all. The come from behind result (twice), the fierce patriotism that has been a highlight of the supporters, and of course, the celebrations afterwards.

It was a night like no other. Having witnessed many sporting triumphs, including Collingwood winning the 1990 flag, seeing my cousin win the League in Austria for the first time in 40 odd years with Sturm Graz, as well and many great cricketing wins, this game paled them all.

The crowd never really gave up, though at times our resolve was tested, especially when Kalac let in "that goal". But the lads never gave up, and the reward came when Harry slotted in the equaliser to send us through. The celebrations were huge. We hung around the ground for about an hour, singing and chanting, before heading back to the player’s hotel for a chance to get a glimpse of the lads.

However, they decided to head back to their training site, so we were left to sip a few frosties with Les Murray and Craig Foster, so it was not all bad. After a while we headed to the fan site for more celebrations, then home at about 3.30am, in preparation for the long flight home.

Which brings us to the match last night. What happened?

If you look back at the isolated refereeing incidents that have plagued us this tournament, you would say we have been robbed. The nudge on Schwarzer against Japan, the 25 to 8 free kick count against Brazil, the 3 yellow cards to Suminic against Croatia, and of course, the one to top them all, the dive by Grosso to win the game for Italy.

Yes, if we were to ponder on these facts, you would think that there is someone out there a little afraid of the Aussies within FIFA. With the stench of corruption surrounding the Italians, this theory takes further credence. I thought that heading off to bed this morning. However, on pondering what has happened over the course of the match, I can now see the bigger picture.

Sure we were robbed in that 94th minute, however, a lot happened before that point where we can say we did not do enough. We had 59% of the ball. 59%! That is unbelievable. However, we did not create one clear chance.

Viduka was one dimensional, as he was against Croatia, and surely his time with the national side is done. Bresciano had a nightmare on the wing, and it was his error that created the scoring chance that created the penalty. And why did Guus not make a sub until the 82nd minute. When he did, Aloisi was like a breathe of fresh air, however, it was too little, too late. Obviously he was playing for injury time to bring on the subs and swamp the Italians, however, this has now proven again to be an error by the great man.

I could continue on about the negatives, however, there are far more positives to be taken from the result.

We showed the world we could match it with the best. There is now no doubt that Australia is a formidable force in world football. We were not disgraced, and will be stronger for the experience. Our results will also attract a better coach going forward. This can only be good for the game, and now heading into Asia, the world is at our feet.

I am proud to have been a small part of the World Cup campaign, and I know I will fondly look back on the experience in many years to come. With regard to the blog, I will continue to make postings on here throughout the remainder of this tournament and from time to time after that. I will also use it in the lead in to South Africa, which I have little doubt the Aussies will again be a force within it. Hopefully I can be there to cheer the lads on again.