My soul is crumbling
- 27 Jun 06, 10:37 AM
LONDON - "My soul is crumbling," was how one Australian described the pain of their last-minute defeat to Italy on Radio Five Live.
To some England fans who have suffered decades of heartbreak, often also at the hand of perceived cheating, or penalties, or both, it may seem sweet justice that their Antipodean cousins get to drink from the same sour-tasting cup so early in their fledgling foray into football.
But you have to feel for them, don't you. Don't you..?
"So Cruel" said Australia's Daily Telegraph, though it also predicted the 23 players would make a motza from their participation.
Prime Minister John Howard was widely quoted saying he was "brokenhearted".
"The team has been fantastic and the country is so proud of them. They performed way above where they were rated and it's just a very cruel way to lose...right on the knocker like that." Welcome to the World Cup, John.
The heartache must have been even worse for those tens of thousands of fans who stayed up through the night to watch the action on outdoor big screens - and then had to go to work. (There was only a bit of bother in Melbourne, which has a big Italian population.
John O'Neill , chief executive of Football Federation Australia, said the manner of defeat was "excruciatingly cruel," and revealed that many players were in tears in the dressing room afterwards.
One also has more than a sneaking suspicion that the Aussie handwringing will have been slightly more pained due to the mysterious absence of star player Harry Kewell. Not because of a manly sort of injury like Phillipe Senderos' smashed up nose/dislocated shoulder but because of... gout.
(Hiddink did his best to protect Kewell, previously ribbed by fans for his peachy bottom after his wife Sheree Murphy's I'm A Celebrity indiscretions, trying to explain away his absence thus: "He got a reaction from the previous game, an inflammation of his joint. That's why he was on crutches because it takes off a little bit of the weight off his ankle.")
Some may feel the Aussie celebrating-glorious-defeat (don't Brits have the monopoly on that?) is going a little far, with talk of an Australia Day gong for outgoing coach Gus Hiddink and a homecoming parade.
("We'd like to see the ticker-tape parade here in Melbourne {whether} the Socceroos win, lose or draw," Victorian Sports Minister Justin Madden said before the match.)
Hiiddink, perhaps more experienced in judging the scale a second-round exit, is not so keen.
Aussies may also be interested in this take on "impartiality in sports broadcasting" from China's most popular TV commentator.
According to the Associated Press, this is how Huang Jianxiang relayed the moment when Fabio Grosso went down under Lucas Neill's "challenge" in the last 10 seconds of the match to the millions of Chinese viewers on state-run CCTV.
Penalty! Penalty! Penalty! Grosso's done it,
Grosso's done it! The great Italian left back! He succeeded in the glorious traditions of Italy! Facchetti, Cabrini and Maldini, their souls are infused in him at this moment! Grosso represents the long history and traditions of Italian soccer, he's not fighting alone at this moment! He's not alone!
More was to come when Francesco Totti converted the spot-kick.
Goooooal! Game over! Italy win! Beat the Australians! They do not fall in front of Hiddink again! Italy the great! Left back the great! Happy birthday to Maldini! Forza Italia! The victory belongs to Italy, to Grosso, to Cannavaro, to Zambrotta, to Buffon, to Maldini, to everyone who loves Italian soccer! Hiddink ... lost all his courage faced with Italian history and traditions ... He finally reaped fruits which he had sown! They should go home. They don't need to go as far away as Australia as most of them are living in Europe. Farewell!
Huang later said he couldn't remember what he had said in the heat of the moment and his preference for
Italy was because he had commentated on Serie A for many years.
"I'm more familiar with Italian players ... and I don't like Australians indeed. I was hoping they'd do badly."
Finally, some rumours resurfacing that Barcelona may be interested in taking Neill from Blackburn and Brett Emerton may have sparked the interest of AC Milan.
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