Australia (15) 35
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Tries: Mitchell (2), Ashley-Cooper, Hooper, Kuridrani Cons: Foley 2 Pens:Foley 2
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Scotland (16) 34
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Tries: Seymour, Horne Bennett Cons: Laidlaw 2 Pens: Laidlaw 5
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Scotland suffered a devastating loss as Australia won a thrilling quarter-final with a controversial late penalty.
In a pulsating eight-try match Mark Bennett's interception try with seven minutes to go seemed to have sealed one of the great World Cup upsets.
But with time running out referee Craig Joubert called a deliberate offside when replays seemed to indicate the ball had come off a Wallaby player.
Bernard Foley stroked over the three points to steal the game away.
At the final whistle Joubert ran for the tunnel to a deafening chorus of boos, Scotland's players and vast support shattered by the cruel finale.
No chance to refer to television match official
Scotland's defeat means that for the first time in history there will be no northern hemisphere team in the World Cup semi-finals.
But all the talk will be of Joubert's late decision and later behaviour, even if the laws of the game meant he could not ask for assistance from the television match official for the fateful penalty.
Replays being shown on the big screens inside the ground as Foley lined up his kick meant that the referee was almost the only man among the 80,000 who did not realise an error may have been made.
Australia will now meet Argentina in next weekend's semis but they will be mightily relieved to have escaped from a battle which pushed them to their limits.
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