Hero's welcome as Socceroos return to Australia after World Cup defeat
They might have been knocked out of the World Cup by Argentina but the Socceroos were given a hero's welcome on their arrival home to Australia.
Some members of the squad landed at Melbourne Airport tonight to legions of fans who clamoured for selfies with the team.
Children wanted to have their football shirts signed while older fans wanted to shake hands and snap photos with the squad as they arrived from Qatar.
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Thomas Deng of the Socceroos meets with fans at Melbourne Airport. Morgan Hancock/Getty Images
Jamie Maclaren of the Socceroos meets a fan at Melbourne Airport. Morgan Hancock/Getty Images
Many thousands of fans flocked to sites across Australia to watch the round of 16 match early on Sunday morning.
Argentina's Lionel Messi scored an opening goal, and a second came from Alvarez.
Craig Goodwin's 77th minute strike wasn't enough to keep the Socceroos them in the competition.
Despite being eliminated before the quarter-finals, it was an enormously successful World Cup for the Aussie team and won millions of hearts back home.
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Marco Tilio of the Socceroos poses with fans at Melbourne Airport. Morgan Hancock/Getty Images
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