Brisbane: The Australian media swung
firmly behind the national football team on Thursday despite the
Socceroos bowing out of the World Cup at the group stage.
Australia missed out on the second round of the World Cup
on goal difference due largely to the 4-0 thrashing they
received at the hands of Germany in their opening Group D
match.
After launching a tirade of abuse at coach Pim Verbeek
and, to a lesser extent, the players after the Germany loss,
local media began to warm to the Socceroos following their 1-1
draw with Ghana.
And they were positively glowing after the 2-1 win over
Serbia in Nelspruit yesterday.
"Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant," wrote the Sydney
Morning Herald`s Mike Cockerill, hitherto one of the
Socceroos` most trenchant critics.
"There was to be no salvation in Nelspruit. But there was
redemption. The Socceroos are going home, but they`re going
with their heads held high. And as a consolation, that`s not
to be underestimated."
Cockerill said the Socceroos had managed to "claw back"
some respect from the Australian sporting public.
"It`s the Australian way. You go down fighting, and
didn`t they put up a fight?"
David Davutovic, writing for the News Limited stable of
newspapers, agreed that Australia had nothing to be ashamed
of.
"Getting out of the group phase was always going to be a
huge achievement for the Socceroos, who in fairness are not
among the best 16 teams in the world," he wrote.
"Had they gone down in the lacklustre fashion they did
against Germany then questions would have been asked of the
players and particularly coach Pim Verbeek.”
"But they went down swinging and that`s why every one of
the Socceroos fans stayed in the stadium well after the final
whistle."
However, the ABC`s Joel Vander wished Australia had shown
that same fighting spirit earlier.
"So where was this in the opening 4-0 embarrassment in
Durban?" he asked.
"If only coach Pim Verbeek had instilled some confidence
in his charges that they could get a result that day.”
"Instead of the meek surrender that we witnessed, we
might have seen the fighting Socceroos we`ve become accustomed
to."
Bureau Report
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