I’m not a fanatical football fan I’d be the first one to admit that but I thoroughly enjoy and respect the game quite a lot. I’m also passionate when it comes to our national teams it doesn’t matter what shape the ball is. I set my alarm for 4AM Monday morning much like everyone else to watch the Australian Socceroos do battle with Football’s superpower Germany and it resulted in an utter disaster. A Blitzkrieg, just as they promised. The Socceroos were completely torn apart and it was unbearable to watch so I switched off with twenty minutes left in the game. I just couldn’t stand to watch the slaughter even if a part of me was hoping for a miracle but all traces of that hope was lost when Tim Cahill was red carded off the field.
Apart from the first five minutes, there was something not right about the way they were playing. There was no aggression and only tiny glimpses of the fighting spirit that we came to expect from all our national teams. As sad as it is to admit it, it was embarrassing – it was embarrassing because it happened in the World Cup, if it was just a qualifier or an Asian competition it would not have mattered so much. The 2006 World Cup in Germany was magical, there were no expectations on the Socceroos but they managed to take us to the Round of 16 – They came back home as national heroes. I couldn’t wait four years to see how much more they could achieve in South Africa. The hopes and dreams of the Australian fans came crashing down this morning, mine included.
So now they face Ghana without Tim Cahill and will be coming off a low rather than a high compared to their first game in Kaiserslautern when they beat Japan 3-1. I think a lot of Aussies feel a sense of unfinished business due to the way they lost via a penalty goal as a result of a diving Italian. It’s time to move on and look forward to the remaining games, it’s easy to criticise and play the blaming game but really, what is that going to achieve. It is sad not see the golden boy of Australian Football (Tim) play the next game but we’re still in it, we’re in the World Cup.
Go the Socceroos!!!