And a sour taste in their mouths.

The Socceroos, ranked 42nd and in their first tournament appearance in 32 years, won kudos for reaching the second round with comebacks and a never-say-die attitude. Then they exited on a debatable penalty call with just 12 seconds remaining in a 1-0 loss to Italy.

"We should still be in this World Cup," said an emotional Tim Cahill, one of many players upset at Australia's treatment at the hands of tournament referees.

Others could see the bigger picture.

"Being very close, on a disputed penalty, to go to the last eight of the world is a tremendous achievement," said coach Guus Hiddink.

"I think Australia can be proud," he added. "I think they are proud now."

Captain Mark Viduka also saw positives.

"We played some very nice football. Today and on the other days as well. I think we've got a lot of followers just because of the way we played, the way we never gave up in any game.

"It is a sour way to finish, but we've got to deal with it."

The Australians opened with a bang, rallying from 1-0 down with six minutes remaining to beat Asian champion Japan, 3-1. They acquitted themselves well in a 2-0 loss to world champion Brazil before coming back again to tie Croatia at two goals apiece.

Amazingly, the Australians accomplished all of that while leading for just one minute in regulation time during the first round.

The Socceroos kept millions of fans Down Under up into the small hours of the morning. And they helped elevate soccer back home to the level of rugby and cricket -- two sports in which they've won multiple world championships.

"The big win is not just that the team made a very good impression on this tournament against big teams in the world. But the momentum has to be used to establish football now in Australia," said Hiddink.

That is a big challenge.

With Hiddink leaving to take over the Russian national team, Football Federation Australia has big shoes to fill. In just a year in a largely part-role, he turned the Australians into a frighteningly fit team that could carry out his savvy tactics.

Standing on the sidelines, the hands-on Hiddink directed his team like an NBA coach. And behind the scenes, he made believers out of a team that was more familiar with watching the World Cup on TV from holiday destinations.

"He's a mastermind behind plans and trickery and keeping people on their toes and getting the best out of players," said backup goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac.

"What he has left is a hell of a job for the next person to come in and try and emulate," said goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, who has urged Australian officials to hire an experienced European coach to succeed Hiddink.

But Hiddink was unable to make the Australian finishing more lethal, or manufacture more depth. And he could not prevent pre-tournament injuries that left Cahill and Harry Kewell in subpar condition.

Australia faces other hurdles.

With the top players contracted to clubs in Europe, summoning them to the other side of the world for national team duty is always going to be contentious. And Australia recently quit Oceania for the more challenging Asian Football Confederation.

The federation also has to build the fledgling domestic A-League, to keep the flow of talent coming.

Schwarzer, 33, said he wants to keep playing for Australia. Viduka and fellow striker John Aloisi, both 30, said it was too soon to say. Defender Craig Moore is 31.

"I love playing for my country and I love this bunch of guys," said Viduka. "I think all of us will have to sit down afterward and decide what we're going to do later."

Lucas Neill was a standout in central defense -- assistant coach Graham Arnold called him "the form player of the tournament." Unfortunately he was involved in the decisive penalty call. He was described as "shattered" after the game.

But beforehand Neill talked proudly of the Australians' World Cup adventure, which marked its first ever World Cup win (over Japan) and goal (from Cahill).

"Once you get a taste for it, you realize what we've been missing out on for so long," he said.