It would have been a fairytale finish if the Socceroos had managed to beat the defending world champions in their final FIFA World Cup match of 2014, but there was certainly no disgrace in the 3-0 defeat in Curitiba.
The performances against Chile and the Netherlands provided hope that the wounded Spanish, whose own tournament chances had been ended by successive defeats, could be beaten at the final group hurdle. Even some of the Spanish press were concerned their team might bow out of the Brazil extravaganza without a point to their name.
And from the kick off the Socceroos looked determined to humble the world champions, although it was always a question of how long they could keep it up.
Coach Ange Postecoglou went with a young side and it was strange to see Australia out there without talisman Tim Cahill up front, his suspension an obvious detriment to Australia’s chances. Mark Bresciano was introduced for the final 20 minutes of his World Cup farewell.
For me, the real surprise in the starting line-up was that Tommy Oar, who has had a very quiet tournament, had not been replaced by James Troisi, who might have added some fresh legs and a different attacking option.
Regardless of the personnel, the message was clear as Australia looked to close down the Spanish to prevent the likes of Andres Iniesta and Xabi Alonso from controlling the tempo.
Australia’s early intensity allowed the back four to keep a high line and restricted the space in which the Spanish had to play. The Socceroos’ defensive positions were excellent and provided further proof of the tactical acumen of Postecoglou and his staff. Australia also tried to send the ball long at times in the early stages in an attempt to use the pace of Adam Taggart and company up front.
However, as the game settled the Spanish began to dominate and it seemed only a matter of time before they opened the scoring.
Australia were forced deeper and deeper as they failed to keep possession of the ball. Despite their struggles in the tournament, Spain were always going to be more comfortable with the ball than without it and new Melbourne City recruit David Villa capitalised on some very poor defending to give Spain the lead.
It was all too easy for Iniesta to split the Socceroos defence and with no reaction from the centre backs it allowed an easy tap in. As has been the case so often, it was another case of the Socceroos being punished for their mistakes. There have definitely been some important lessons for Jason Davidson, Alex Wilkinson, Matt Spiranovic and Ryan McGowan.
Despite the half-time changes -Taggart made way for Ben Halloran and Matthew Leckie moved centrally to attempt to hold up the ball - the Socceroos struggled to turn defence into attack and were guilty of poor decision and execution in the final third.
But there were still positives to take from the game. Oliver Bozanic worked tirelessly, making himself available at every opportunity and showing great composure on the ball.
Goalkeeper Mat Ryan showed his great potential and has nailed down the number one spot into the future. He was very assured and also played as a sweeper behind the back four, which was important given the amount of pressure Australia were under.
There was little he could do for the second goal Fernando Torres taking full advantage of the time and space he was afforded, before Juan Mata completed the scoring.
Despite the result, it was another performance to make Australians proud.