Socceroos v Egypt LIVE updates: Australia knocked out of World Cup by Egypt after penalties; Messi put Argentina up 1-0 over Cape Verde

Thousands of Socceroos fans packed in at multiple venues across Sydney have been left reeling from Australia’s defeat to Egypt.

Sydneysiders braved early morning wake-ups (or late nights!) to watch the match live from 4am at Cathy Freeman Park at Sydney Olympic Park, Parramatta’s Centenary Square, and Blacktown Football Park.

And at the biggest public live viewing site, Tumbalong Park in Sydney, dejected fans were in disbelief after the Socceroos’ 4-2 penalty shootout loss to the Pharaohs.

For the much-anticipated clash, public transport in Sydney ran for 24 hours, with increased Metro, heavy rail, and light rail services.

Licensed pubs, bars and clubs that screened the game were also allowed extended trading hours and opened through the night or from 3am.

After the match, veteran Socceroo Aziz Behich spoke to reporters about the legacy of this tournament.

“You want to captivate a nation and I think this group of players and everyone involved have done that and like I said before, there’s no stone unturned in this tournament. Starting so early in pre-camp, and today going 120 minutes against a side like Egypt and to go out the way we did, I think we can all be proud,” he said.

On whether this tournament has been a success for Australian soccer beyond today’s results, Behich said there would be a lot to be proud of.

Cape Verde and their newly famous goalkeeper Vozinha, have conceded a goal in the 29th minute with a chip from the tournament’s all-time leading goalscorer, Lionel Messi.

Lisandro Martinez will get the assist with a long range pass to Messi who takes one touch before knocking the ball in with his left. It’s a stunning goal and a treat to the fans in Miami.

Cape Verde have never lost a World Cup match, having drawn in all three games so far in their debutant tournament. They held Spain to a 0-0 draw in their opener, Uruguay to 2-2 and Saudi Arabia to 0-0. But there has to be a winner today and Messi has put Argentina in the lead.

Argentina 1-0 Cape Verde, 33 minutes

Arlington: Everything is bigger in Texas. The food portions. The petrol stations. AT&T Stadium. The screen suspended over the field at AT&T Stadium. The supermarkets, like the Walmart across the road that was invaded before kick-off by a horde of hope-filled Australians – and now, the heartbreak they will share.

This one hurts. And it hurts because the Socceroos deserved better. They played well against Egypt, they gave it everything, and it wasn’t enough.

For the third time, Australia have fallen over at the first knockout hurdle of the World Cup. The next chance for redemption will be four long years away – and we can only hope these players will let this horrible feeling sink in, feel it deeply, then use it, and come back bigger and better, ready to break this hoodoo in 2030.

We have kick-off in Miami Stadium in a battle between David and Goliath.

Captain Lionel Messi returns to the starting lineup for Argentina in their World Cup last-32 clash against tournament debutants Cape Verde on Friday.

It is a landmark game for Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, who is marking his 100th game in charge of the national team since taking over in 2018. While Messi, the World Cup’s top scorer of all time, becomes the first player ever to make 30 appearances at the tournament.

Cape Verde midfielder Telmo Arcanjo, who was doubtful for the game because of a leg injury, starts on the bench. His teammate Sidny Lopes Cabral is available again and the left back starts after serving a one-match suspension against Saudi Arabia for picking up yellow cards against Spain and Uruguay.

Some fans wiped tears from their eyes as crowds left Fed Square at record-breaking pace following the Australia’s heartbreaking penalty shootout loss.

But a few dozen Egyptian fans were delighted with the result. Despite being outnumbered in the green-and-gold crowd, they cheered mightily when the winning spot kick was put away.

Osama Shahin moved to Australia as a 10-year-old and celebrated early on Saturday morning draped in an Egyptian flag.

“When you grow up in Egypt, soccer is everything,” he said. “To win our first knockout stage match is pretty big.”

Australian coach Tony Popovic has spoken to SBS after the match.

When asked whether this was the most heartbroken Popovic had been in his life, he said: “Good question. It’s tough. It’s tough now, yeah.”

“I think we showed the world that Australian football is strong. A wonderful group, but just devastated for them that we can’t progress,” he said.

When asked about Herrington and Souttar’s misses, Popovic dismissed the question.

“It’s not a moment to think about that now. That will come, I’m sure. I’m extremely proud of them. I haven’t even thought about the players who missed the penalties,” he said. “Unfortunately, we go home and the World Cup ends for us.”

And on why he chose to substitute Maty Ryan in the final minutes of extra time to replace Patrick Beach for the shootout, Popovic said, “I think that was always an option for us with [Ryan’s] experience. Then you’ve got to see how the game plays out, and sometimes in extra time players go down and you need to make the changes and you don’t have a sub available, but we still had one available with a couple of minutes to go, and we put Maty on.”