Australia learning to live with World Cup loss

SYDNEY - Life is getting back to normal, but there remains an underlying bitterness in Australia about the way they were eliminated from the soccer World Cup.

It is not the only emotion as there is genuine pride in the performance of the Socceroos in reaching the top 16 - and rightly so.

There was an irresistible euphoria along the way as the underdogs motivated by super coach Guus Hiddink advanced beyond most expectations.

It seems too there was a genuine neighbourly feeling from New Zealanders who enjoyed Australia doing well, with perhaps a reserved edge to it given the Aussies' tendency to remind their Kiwi cousins about their successes.

But to be dudded out of the tournament was hard to take. Italian player Fabio Grosso's dive over a Lucas Neill tackle resulting in a penalty goal hit a raw nerve.

Even the mighty Pele said he was sorry to see the Socceroos fall the way they did.

"The least you could say was that Australia deserved the chance of playing extra time," he said in his column in the Australian. "I even thought the Australians deserved to win, but the Italians had more experience and played that old defensive game."

His comments tempered some of the excesses about how the penalty decision was because of bias by officials against Australia because it is not a soccer world power.

Even some letters to editors pointed out the same referee, Spaniard Luis Medina Cantalejo, erred in sending off Italy's Marco Materazzi earlier, giving the Socceroos a marked edge for 40 minutes of the match, of which they failed to take advantage.

And Kevan Silver wrote to the Sydney Daily Telegraph reminding readers of an obvious foul committed in Australia's game against Japan which might have had an impact on the result had the referee acted.

"With all the complaints about the refereeing at the World Cup, how soon people forget the blatant penalty that should have been awarded against Tim Cahill in the Japan match. Had that been given, we would not have even been playing Italy.

"As to the penalty itself, can anyone, hand on heart, say that had the roles been reversed, we would not have been screaming for an Australian penalty? And had it not been given, we wouldn't have been complaining about the referee?"

"I would just like to point out an obvious analogy," wrote Andrew Hick to the Australian. "I have watched Shane Warne and his teammates appeal hundreds of times for wickets they know are not out, with the intention of cheating the opposition."

- NZPA