Degenek: Why I am proud of the boys, the staff & the nation

Australia's World Cup run may have ended at the hands of Argentina, but Socceroos defender Milos Degenek was full of praise for the incredible effort displayed by the Green and Gold in their first Round of 16 match since 2006. 

The Socceroos FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ campaign is over after falling in valiant defeat to Argentina 2-1 in the Round of 16 on Sunday morning (AEDT).

It was not the result the Socceroos were after, but the enormity of their achievements are already clear to see from the outside.

During the group stage of the Finals, Australia claimed two victories for the first time at a FIFA World Cup by defeating both Tunisia and Denmark, and were magnificent against a giant of world football.

Degenek explained just how proud he was of the squad after the Socceroos World Cup exit at the hands of Argentina. 

“I just want to say how proud I am of our boys,” Degenek said post-match.

“How proud I am of us as a team. How proud I am of us as a unit, of all the staff and of the whole country that's come out and supported us over the last month and over the last four and a half years.

I want to congratulate everyone on what we've done. I'm really, really stoked and proud for everything that we've been through and what we've achieved. 

“I think that's something that we're still not aware of but once we hit home and maybe the next time we go back to Australia, we'll realise how much we have changed people's lives.”

Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez scored a goal each for the Argentines to put them in a strong position but Australia clawed its way back after Craig Goodwin’s strike deflected off Enzo Fernandez as an own goal in the 77th minute.

However, it was not enough as a valiant Socceroos outfit exited the tournament, in what is their most successful appearance to date.

“Obviously, when we lose to Argentina, it’s not like losing to a smaller nation,” Degenek said.

“They are the second favourites and they have the best player who has ever played the game. 

It’s a testament to us that we forced Argentina to defend and play with the back five. We almost had a goal in the last minute as well. 

“It shows that we have that never give up mentality and character. It shows that we are quite a strong team and people underestimated us."

Argentina moves onto a quarter-final showdown with the Netherlands while the Socceroos will pack their bags, but they will not go home without a lot of praise from the footballing world. 

“The Argentina players congratulated us on how we played,” Degenek said. 

“They were surprised and from what I heard, they thought that we weren't going to be as good as we were. They obviously underestimated us.”