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Messi fans roar as Argentina beat Aussies for QF spot

STORY: While there was celebratory singing and dancing by fans from Argentina, Lionel Messi fans from all around the world joined in revelry as their hero marked his 1,000th professional game with his 789th goal -- his first in a World Cup knockout match.

Ajmal Ashraf from India described him as "God of football", while Belgian Eric Szyburski added "I love Messi," and young fan Anson Aneesh from India said, "I screamed my heart out when Messi scored."

Although disappointed about their team's loss, Australian fans said they were proud of the tough game they played, pushing the Argentines back with a late deflected Craig Goodwin strike and two good chances to equalise in the last few minutes.

"I didn't even expect to score a goal in the first place, but yeah I'm proud of the boys," said Christian Kanaan from Sydney, although he could not hide his disappointment.

Fans from Queensland, Nick and Mel, said they were "super proud" of the team. "Because everybody thinks that you know Australia is not a huge... soccer country, but we're so proud of how far they've come so, and we're so grateful that we've got to be a part of it," Mel said.