We were left Kye and dry by a legend
KYE ROWLES is gutted that Australia’s World Cup adventure came to a Messi end.
The Hearts star and his Socceroo team-mates are on their way home from Qatar after their last 16 defeat to Argentina.
Argentine captain Messi scored the first and was a major player in seeing the Australians off in a narrow 2-1 defeat on Saturday night.
Rowles said: “We are pretty disappointed to bow out but we gave a good account of ourselves.
“If we had nicked one, you could see the way they celebrated that save from Emiliano Martinez as it kept them alive.
“I can’t be any prouder of this group – it has been an amazing journey in a short space of time.”
Rowles insists he wasn’t fazed by facing up to PSG star Messi.
He said: “You know he is out there. You just have to do your thing and not really fantasise who is on the field with you.
“I think we did an alright job on him apart from when he popped up with the goal.
“That is what the best players do, they are not in the game and then they hit you. We were unlucky in the end.” Fellow defender Harry Souttar, who was born in Aberdeen and brought up in Brechin, believes Australia can look back on their run with pride.
Souttar said: “I am just really gutted for the lads, what it means and how much effort we put in.
“We took it right to the end but what can I say? They’re a world class team, simple as that. They have world-class players who can turn it in an instance as they showed with the first goal.
Former Celtic, Ross County and Hibs midfielder Jackson Irvine also played a big part for the Australians.
St Pauli star Irvine admitted: “I have mixed emotions. At the end of the game the exhaustion and the fact that it’s all done is overwhelming.
“If you said to me before the tournament I would be standing in the last 16 after a loss to Argentina, feeling like there was more for us, that shows where we are as a team.”