The winger has been vilified for his performances against France and Denmark in a vicious cyber assault, with much of the criticism becoming personal.
But defender Aziz Behich and wide man Mathew Leckie, a long-time friend of Kruse, hit back at the online taunts, with Leckie saying: “Everyone (in the camp) is upset about it.”
“It’s really disappointing what’s being said. I haven’t seen much of it. I think Robbie tries to stay away from it as well.
“But it’s becoming hard to stay away from. It’s sad ... we are representing our country as players and he’s doing all he can to represent himself, his family and the national team.
“So for his own people, Australians, to be slagging him off is not okay. It’s never good for any player to come up against that sort of stuff.”
Behich insisted the 29-year-old, who many fans want to see replaced in the side by wonderkid Daniel Arzani, was being baited by “people who sit behind a computer who’ve never kicked a ball before”.
“It’s a bit disappointing and has no part in our game,” he added.
“At the end of the day it’s just a sport. We are out here to entertain and do a job.
“Krusey is a true confessional. The people who criticize him - I don’t think they actually watch the game and see all the hard work he does, especially defensively.
“With all the injuries he’s had a lot of players would’ve crumbled a long time ago. It just shows the character he’s got, and we’re all behind him and he’s a champion.
I don’t think the criticism has got to him at all ... he’s still larking about and he’ll be ready to go against Peru if he’s called upon.”
Leckie insisted that Kruse was rising above the abuse but that he had been “shocked” by some of the personal attacks which prompted his brother to suspend their parents’ Facebook account to spare them being exposed.
“We’ve still got good spirits around us. But at the end of the day he’s shocked and it’s disappointing,” Leckie added.
“It’s not just for him but it’s all the players. We are representing Australia and while people might prefer one player over another that doesn’t give them the right to abuse a player.
“Robbie has played Champions League and that doesn’t happen by accident. He’s a great player. The quality is there and he’s in the starting 11 because of that quality.”
Leckie, who has been lauded at the this tournament while the cyber peanut gallery has condemned Kruse, added: “I’ve known Robbie for a while, I’m one of the closest to him and we have a good bond.
“He’s a really good player playing at a high-level in Germany.
“Injuries have set him back a bit but he’s always a player who works really hard for the team.
“Hopefully it (the verbal attacks) tones down. There’s a reason why he’s in the team.
“He’s not playing because the coach has a private liking for him.
“He’s playing because he gives so much to the team on the pitch that people don’t see.”
