Neill a rock in defence

There was a cruel irony about the events in the Fritz-Walter Stadium in Kaiserslautern, which saw Italy win its Round of 16 game against Australia in very dramatic circumstances.

There was a cruel irony about the events in the Fritz-Walter Stadium in Kaiserslautern, which saw Italy win its Round of 16 game against Australia in very dramatic circumstances.

First it was yet another refereeing decision that took a lot of the spotlight in an Australian match (that made it four in a row) and secondly was that the decision would be against Australia-s best player at the World Cup tournament in Lucas Neill.

From the very first game against Japan, each match of Australia-s at the World Cup tournament had been marred by refereeing controversies. However the decision to rule that Neill had fouled Fabio Grosso, resulting in a penalty being awarded to Italy with 10 seconds left on the clock that hurts the most.

If ever one player didn-t deserve that it was Neill, for he had been the rock at the back for the Socceroos in all four games and most pundits Australian player of the tournament.

Yet Neill-s tournament threatens to be remembered for his attempted tackle on Grosso, which ultimately led to Fransesco Totti scoring from the penalty spot. It proved the last action of the match and sent the Azzurri to a quarter-final meeting with Ukraine.

So distraught was he that it was his actions that led to Australia-s exit, the normally vibrant and chatty Neill was unable to face the media after the match. Replays showed Neill has missed Grosso in the tackle and it was the Italian defender that initiated the contact and then theatrically dived over Neill.

It was not how Australia-s and especially Neill-s World Cup deserved to finish.

That was especially the sentiments of his fellow team mates and his coach Guus Hiddink, who said the decision to award the penalty was wrong.

"Obviously he is disappointed," said midfielder Luke Wilkshire. "Like everybody else, the way the team is, no one puts Lucas at fault; he-s had a fantastic World Cup and like I say, it was a harsh decision on him."

"Obviously he is a little bit disappointed, but as far as he goes he has had a tremendous tournament; he was outstanding and he should hold his head up high," said defender Brett Emerton.

Indeed Neill was a tower strength in the heart of the Australian defence, his performances during the tournament attracting interest from a number of high profile clubs including and Spanish giants Barcelona, where one of Australia-s assistant coaches Johan Neeskens will be next season.

Most thought he was Australia-s best against Japan over the full 90 minutes and he took his game to higher levels as the tournament went on, with composed and technically adept displays.

"Lucas Neill was very sad in the locker-room," said Hiddink. "You feel guilty if you cause a penalty, but in his case it was so bitter."

"It was doubly sad for him knowing he did not commit a foul. I told him that overall I'm very proud of him and the rest of the players."

Captain Mark Viduka even fully endorsed Neill as a future leader of the Socceroos, if he is, many are predicting, retiring from the international football.

"Definitely, Lucas Neill has a lot of potential to be a leader, if I do go," said Viduka. "I think he has done a great job, is a great leader, so is Craig Moore. Lucas has done a great job."