Rio de Janeiro: The heartbroken Matildas are furious with officials for allowing Brazil an "unfair advantage" during the penalty shootout that ended their Olympic dream on Friday night.

The Matildas also believe Brazilian police were responsible for their late arrival at Mineirão Stadium in Belo Horizonte for their quarter-final clash after their bus was held up at the team hotel as the Brazilian team bus went ahead.

But of greater significance was the referees' reluctance to sanction Brazilian keeper Barbara, who was allowed to repeatedly come off her line during the shootout and managed to save two of Australia's seven penalty attempts.

The Australian women's team believe the referees were scared to upset the parochial home crowd, despite previously pledging at a pre-tournament meeting to crack down on goalkeepers advancing off their line for penalties with yellow cards.