Defender Roberto Ayala has apologised to the Argentinian people for the national team's World Cup elimination.

Argentina were one of the favourites to lift the World Cup on July 9 but were beaten in the quarter-finals by Germany in a penalty shoot-out.

The team then left their base in Herzogenaurach for a flight home from Nuremberg, where the Valencia defender told reporters: "I'm sorry for having disillusioned the Argentinian people.

"Also for not having reached our goal of being among the top four teams in the tournament.

"I'm sorry for leaving Germany empty-handed when we believed we could have won the game in the 90 minutes."

Ayala and Esteban Cambiasso were the two Argentina players to have their penalties saved by German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.

"I had already decided to shoot in that direction," said Ayala.

"I feel a huge anger inside. There's no consolation from scoring the goal during the match because the last thing remains on the mind."

Ayala needs only one more cap to level Diego Simeone's national record of 106 and has played in the last three World Cups but was unwilling to say if he would play in another.

"We never know," he said. "I haven't retired from the national team, despite this elimination really hurting me.

"I would have preferred not to play so many games but to win more."

With every World Cup winner adding a small star to their shirt following each finals triumph, Ayala admitted he is desperate to see a third on the national team jersey following their victories in 1978 and 1986.

"I want to put another star on the AFA's [Argentinian Football Association] emblem," he said.

Midfielder Pablo Aimar added: "We're living the same sadness as the rest of the Argentinian people.

"We wished for and deserved more, but it's just another illusion, just like the last World Cup [in 2002].

"We could not manage to make the difference against a German team who weren't better than us."