Ireland escaped the group and lost to France at Euro 2016. Here's an assessment of their rousing campaign in France, and where they go from here.
At a glance
Ireland only bowed out of Euro 2016 upon brave defeat vs. France. And while the loss against Belgium was disappointing, the 1-0 win against Italy was a game to remember. A positive tournament that they will look to hope to build on moving forward.
Highlight
Robbie Brady's header vs. Italy. It wasn't just the moment of their tournament, it was one of the greatest moments in Irish soccer history. That the following day's main evening news was led by reports from his mother's house, his youth soccer club and his first school is telling enough.
Brady's header was special not only because of the result, or even because of what that result meant. The means to the end were equally as great; Martin O'Neill threw caution to the wind against Italy and, as unheralded names like Darren Randolph, Shane Duffy and Brady himself provided future optimism, there was also a throwback style that brought memories of better days and better teams for Ireland fans.
The long balls, high pressing and endless aggression from a limited group saw them achieve something they shouldn't have been capable of and reminded many of the spirit and swarm of the Charlton era in the late 80s and early 90s. That was quite a bit of past and present emotion to squeeze into one evening.
Low point
The Belgium defeat. The ultimate 2-1 exit against France might seem an obvious answer given Ireland's early lead and ruthless effort thereafter, but by that point the tournament had already been deemed a success. That seemed unlikely after the thrashing by Romelu Lukaku and co.
It wasn't the result or the performance against Belgium that caused a sinking feeling; it went far beyond that to very nuts and bolts of international soccer. The contrast between Ireland and the opposition that day was huge due in large part to how both associations decided to conduct their business.
After Euro 2000 for instance, upon Belgium's group-stage exit as competition hosts, they reformed their football system and the entire way they produced players. Since then, it's become clear that Ireland need to engage in a process of change of their own, evolving their antiquated system and its collapsing structures. That was the real reason behind the team's loss to a slick and modern Belgium side.
Many watching will have said they simply had better players. But those who care about Irish soccer were asking why. The answer involves looking in the mirror.
Star man
Robbie Brady was key to Ireland's attack. His deliveries from set pieces were vital, as Ireland rarely offered much of a threat through their creativity in open play. Wes Hoolahan's gutsy performances matched his billing as the team's best overall player, and Randolph was surprisingly solid in goal.
But no one can match Jeff Hendrick. For those not paying full attention to Irish international soccer or the English second tier, the Derby midfielder would have been an unfamiliar face coming into the tournament. His bruising style drove the sort of passionate play that seemed to belong to a bygone era, and he also provided a goal-scoring threat from the edge of the box off both feet. He'll be a cornerstone going into their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Lessons learned
This is crucial, as any lessons for the betterment of the team must be learned by the Football Association of Ireland and go from the bottom to the top of the pyramid. The worry entering the tournament was that just being here would give the directors at the top of the game an excuse to turn away from the many fatal flaws they oversee. Upon leaving the competition, the worry is that games like the one against Italy, and even France, will convince them that the system isn't broken.
But Irish soccer needs fixing and quick, as proper coaching creates good players. Without this realisation and reform, matches like Belgium will become increasingly common. The last decade has done nothing to suggest that there's a will to change, but without alterations Irish soccer will be in trouble and will certainly miss out on future tournaments.
After the kaleidoscope of emotions that the team produced in recent weeks, that would be an unforgivable pity.