This group of players will leave Brazil having done better than many expected, but the next level, where results against top quality opponents are realistic, looks beyond many of them. There is a reason the Spaniards play for Real Madrid, or Chelsea, or Bayern Munich. There's also a reason most of the Socceroos play in second-tier European competitions, or Asia, or the A-League. Some of Ange Postecoglou's bravehearts can still aspire to greater heights, but for others this World Cup, and these moments, will be the pinnacle of their careers.

At least for the first 10 minutes, the Socceroos looked the part. But once Iniesta got on the ball, it all started to go downhill. Poor Ryan McGowan was identified early on as a weak link. The good news is that A-League-bound David Villa did most of the tormenting, and to be fair to McGowan he got little defensive support from a fatigued Matthew Leckie. Spain smelt blood, and pushed Santi Cazorla across to overload McGowan. It was somewhat ironic, then, that the goal which set Spain on their way came from the opposite side, where Jason Davidson was exposed by the run inside from Juanfran, who crossed for Villa to score with a backheel finish.

From that moment on, there was only ever going to be one outcome, and in many ways the Socceroos did well to restrict Spain to three. The gulf in class expanded as the game wore on, but that's no shame for the Socceroos. The biggest pity is they couldn't give their magnificent supporters a goal to celebrate. Before the World Cup many wondered whether the Australian public had fallen out of love with the Socceroos. On the evidence provided in Cuiaba, Porto Alegre and Curitiba, the buzz is back.

Posetcoglou's target from the World Cup was to get those punters excited about the team again. Mission Accomplished. The next challenge is perhaps the hardest. Results.

Perception is a strange beast, and it's curious that four years ago, in South Africa, the team was largely maligned despite picking up four points and only missing out on the knockout stage on goal difference. In Brazil, the team finished pointless, but nobody is inclined to hang the players, or the coach, out to dry.