With a place in the quarter-finals at stake, Ireland went up against Turkey on Thursday night but failed to limit the attacking prowess of their opponent as they succumbed to a 4-0 defeat.
However, typical of this squad of players there was still plenty of fight on display and they kept going right to the very end, which was extremely admirable.
Ultimately, Turkey proved to be too strong. But that loss does not take away from how Ireland performed throughout the tournament and their victory over Uruguay will live long in the memory.
Under the experienced management team of Nick Harrison and Dave Bell, they displayed a gritty edge that kept them in each of the games and there were hints that this team can still improve.
The squad will return home proud of their efforts, having made it out of a very difficult group and lost out to a team tipped by many to go all the way.