The sickening agony of a complicated fandom

July 4, 2026 — 4:30pm

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“Either way you win,” they said.

“Whatever happens there will be consolation,” they said.

But when Hossam Abdelmaguid drove home Egypt’s fourth penalty to knock the Socceroos out of the World Cup on Saturday morning, that’s not remotely how it felt.

To be honest, I’m not sure the feeling quite has a word. Gutted is close, but too absolute. Exhausted is right, but only partial. All that came out of my mouth was, “I feel ill”.

Not really the illness of defeat, though. More the illness you get after a winding road trip down a mountain. Released from the journey, you stagger out of the vehicle, knowing you had to reach this destination but wondering, “did it really have to be like this?”

‘Big mistake’: Ex-Socceroos attack Popovic’s gambles as Australia exit World Cup

All week people asked, “are you going to support Egypt?” Are you kidding? In this monoculture? I knew I would be supporting Australia. I wanted at least another week of shared World Cup fever. But the truth is my brain just wouldn’t let me compute the situation.

Sport is one of those things that comes from the gut. You........

© Brisbane Times