Only then did they finally leave the stage and, just as in Ibaraki and Yokohama, the unmistakably gangly figure of Niall Quinn was the very last to cross the white line, facing the fans and raising his fist, one more time, in a symbol of defiant pride. But this time, unlike Ibaraki and Yokohama, it really was the last time. Like his fellow veterans Steve Staunton and Alan Kelly, Niall Quinn has finally left the building.

As ever, Quinn somehow found the words to provide a positive perspective, to talk about rich beginnings not just undeniably sad endings: "Even though I’m coming to an end, what it excites me about this tournament is that this Ireland team is going to be around for every tournament for years to come and the next eight years is going to be a golden time for Irish soccer. That’s what this tournament has done. I’m not going home worrying about penalty kicks being missed. I’m going home delighted myself that I was part of the start of it all. I thought I’d seen it all with Ireland, I thought I’d seen it all in my career, but this World Cup was just unbelievable. It was new territory and I loved every minute of it. I just wish I was a bit younger, that’s all."

That final salute to the fans was an especially meaningful moment for the 35-year-old: “It was emotional. There are lots of better players than me who’ve gone through the same thing and you can’t stand still for too long. I’ve had a wonderful time and the connection out here between the fans and the players has been amazing. To sign off on something like that...it could have been a damp, cold night in Russia getting knocked out of a tournament. But instead it was here. I know we were a long, long way from home but it’s been a wonderful few weeks. It’s been a journey that we all took as one - fans, players, staff."

A judicious pause.

"And press," he laughs. "We’re almost all as one anyway. Maybe it’s because I’m older but this will be a far happier memory for me than anything I’ve done before with Ireland."

Had fate been kinder, it might even have been more memorable for Quinn; he was due to take the sixth penalty and, as they say in football, he rather fancied it: "I took the sixth one for Sunderland so when we had the five I said I’d go next. Mark Kinsella was going to take the seventh if it came to it. But I honestly felt Shay was going to save the last one and I was psyching myself up. I was just desperate for the chance - I wanted one more kick in an Ireland shirt, but I didn’t just get it. And I really would have been confident. When they started missing, it’s amazing how the pendulum swings. And what a stuffy penalty it was to actually claim the victory. We used to wind Tony Cascarino up about his penalty against Romania - I think a divot hit the net as well as the ball when Tony hit it - but that was probably the worst penalty Mendieta’s ever taken."

For the Irish players who missed, Quinn had fatherly words of comfort and encouragement: "Yeah, sure, they’re hurt. But, again, you have to look at their ages and what’s ahead of them. They have to build on this, they have to look at what they’ve created in this tournament. And I, for one, am really looking forward to bringing my family along and joining the Green Army out there and supporting this team. Because this is invaluable to them for what lies ahead. Incredible highs and an incredible low at the end of it all - but when you talk about teams with pedigree and experience, that’s where you gain it. Okay, missing penalties is harsh and people can look at the cruel side of it, but the lads will know that, in time, they’ve got to build on this. They all became real men and real Irish heroes, especially the five penalty takers, and they have a wonderful time ahead of them. They feel down now, of course, but they have nothing to be ashamed of. They’ve got to be really positive now. They’re a great side with real talent, and I think the days of Ireland being happy qualifying for a tournament are over." The sight of a visibly drawn Kevin Kilbane being led through the mixed zone area and past the waiting press without comment, summed up the emotional toll the penalty torture had taken on some players. During the shoot-out, Quinn had been first up to meet the luckless hitmen, as they took the long, lonely walk back to the centre circle. What did he say to them? "Well, first of all Matty, I tried to tell him how much of a legend he’s become in Ireland for what he’s done over the last few weeks. He’s had the disappointment of relegation this season, he’s had a wonderful World Cup and then a low way to finish it out. So I was saying to him, ‘look, you’re a world-class player now, how bad is that? Why feel so bad about yourself.’

"And Kevin Kilbane as well, he had a magnificent game tonight. He started right from the whistle, and showed great courage and conviction. Things didn’t run for him with the rebound and the penalty but, other than that, he was fantastic. He set a standard for himself. I think he has 36 or 37 caps now and he has another 36 or 37 in him, only they’ll all be at big tournaments, please God."

With the shattering low of the climax to the night’s drama still evident all about, what did Quinn make of the prospect of the by now traditional homecoming celebration?

"The people always amaze me but never so much as on this trip," he said. "I don’t know whether it was because we were so far away from home or what went on in the buildup, but it’s just frightening. And when you see the videos of what’s been going on at home, you’d scarcely believe that they’d want to, but understand it they do. And, really, if the players do get a homecoming, I’ll be telling them to load every memory in the bank and remember it all. Because I was probably guilty when I was younger of letting the moment slip by. But I won’t let this one slip by, no matter who turns up to meet us."

Yet with barely an hour having elapsed since the last kick of a heartbreaking night for Irish football, presumably a party is the last thing on any of the players’ minds?

"That’s right, although I think there are two or three retirement parties to go tonight. But, yeah, some are very down, of course, and others not so bad, but we’ll rally around again. This team won’t need to be told, they just need to be reminded, of how good they are and how good it’s going to get. And that’s the positive thing they need to take out of this World Cup."