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The world has reacted with shock and awe after the Socceroos upset Denmark to advance to the World Cup’s round of 16.
There were tears in Tunisia after the result meant their shock victory over France was not enough to progress, while the world’s media praised Australia for their commitment while ripping into Denmark for their failure to live up to their billing as a Cup contender.
In Denmark, the local media could at least see the funny side, using a bit of Aussie slang to describe their abrupt exit.
“As they might say in Australia, Denmark have just had a hell of a ‘Barry’,” wrote The Copenhagen Post. Yes, it truly was a shocker by the not so great Danes.
Denmark’s coach, Kasper Hjulmand, was not seeing the lighter side of life after the result, saying “this simply sucked”.
“I believe that my feelings are too big now to think clearly,” he said. “There are many ingredients in that pot. For me it’s important to get a bit of distance to it so I can think rationally. I can’t do that right now, the emotions are too big, the frustrations are too big. We did not reach our level.”
Australia were written off by most pundits against the Danes – world number 10 and the Euros semifinalists.
Expect more of the same when Sunday’s match up with Argentina, and their talisman Lionel Messi, is previewed.
Messi though is being diplomatic.
“The match against Australia is going to be very difficult. Anyone can beat anyone, it’s all even,” Messi said after they dismantled Poland to top Group C.
“We have to prepare for the game as we always do.
“We should be calm and take it match by match. Now, another World Cup starts and hopefully we could continue to maintain what we did today.”
Writing in major Argentine news outlet La Nacion, Alejandro Casar Gonzalez, set the expectations for fans of their national team.
“Australia, Argentina’s next rival, does not care about the ball or the context,” he wrote. “He has a game plan engraved in his memory and he respects it to the letter: it is a team that bets on one or two plays per game. A counterattack, a free kick or a corner. The rest: run and score. And again. And that their central defenders are in charge of taking out everything that the rival throws by air.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Twitter described it as a “magnificent win by the Socceroos #woohoo”.
Socceroos legend Harry Kewell added: “Over the moon! What an achievement.”
Former Australian star Craig Foster wrote on social media that all Australian capitals should have live sites for this weekend’s clash with Argentina, tagging in state premiers to let them know they should set up areas so we can potentially have more raucous scenes of celebrations like Melbourne’s Federation Square overnight.
England legend Gary Lineker said it was an “extraordinary performance from Australia to go through to the knockout stage. Remarkable effort.”
Former England striker Dion Dublin was also full of praise for the Socceroos’ grit against a classier line-up.
“Denmark had most of the ball, they possibly have the better players but they just didn’t do enough in possession,” he told the BBC.
“Australia have shown everything you need to get through to the later stages of the World Cup, energy, commitment, organisation, Duke up front was brilliant.
“McGree was great as well. Mooy just managed that midfield alongside Irvine and the two centre halves, Rowles and Souttar have been excellent. When it comes to effort and determination, Australia deserved to go through.”
Over at The Scotsman, they were celebrating the “Jockeroos” for showing Braveheart spirit, reserving particular praise for Scottish-born Harry Souttar and Kye Rowles, who plays for Heart of Midlothian.
“It was Mathew Leckie who scored the 60th minute winner for the Aussies as they deflated Denmark and cemented second place in Group D, but without the centre-back pairing with a tartan hue – one born in Scotland and the other an adopted native – they wouldn’t have had the platform for glory,” wrote Moira Gordon.
The UK Telegraph said Australia outshone Denmark by being “the team so much greater than the sum of their parts at this tournament.
“They achieved what their manager described as ‘the greatest set of results’ in their history via such old school methods: a basic 4-4-2 system in which an ultra-physical group of youth and journeymen fight for their lives.”
The Times lived up to its snooty reputation by looking down their noses at Australia’s achievement.
“The victors certainly did come from a land down under, as the famous old song queried. Over the PA at the stadium, Men at Work blasted out, then Waltzing Matilda and finally Daryl Braithwaite completed an Aussie medley. The evening just needed Mick Dundee wrestling a croc.
“It was a colourful end to a woeful game … An insipid match had been crying out for a moment of magic,” Times correspondent Martin Hardy wrote before delivering some praise to Leckie for his goal.
The finishing with “Christian Eriksen was poor, his team-mates surprisingly lacklustre.. Australia were no great shakes either — they passed the ball only 300 times and with a paltry 67 per cent success ratio — but that was enough to win one of the tournament’s worst games.”
The Athletic‘s tactics writer Michael Cox wrote that there was little expectation prior to the Cup about the Socceroos.
“This is a great achievement by Australia. There was nothing in terms of recent results or the squad to think they’d get two wins. But they’ve been so well organised, very compact, not dropped deep too early. Souttar has been incredible. And they’ve scored three really good goals.”
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