It wasn't the scoreline that was cruel. It was ... the celebrations.
India's pursuit of happiness ended in another night of misery as they finished their 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup campaign with a 0-5 loss against Brazil. The overriding hope ahead of the game that India would at least, get a solitary moment of celebration with a goal, but it was not to be.
What would have made it tougher for the Indian side out on the pitch was watching the manner in which Brazil celebrated. Coach Simone Jatoba was absolutely ecstatic when Gabi Berchon put the South Americans ahead in the 11th minute and seconds later, the entire squad bouncing up and down together.
It's exactly what India would have wanted - coach Thomas Dennerby and his support staff, able to celebrate together after an incredibly tough 8-9 months of hard work, a preparation disrupted by some tough events. This side, as Dennerby has repeatedly noted, have the best running stats of any team in Group A, they've kept going, not hid and displayed brave performances despite the gulf in quality.
All the players wanted was a goal. Just a goal.
Incredibly, India had their moments - much more than against Morocco or the USA. Brazil utilised a fairly high line in defence, and Neha and Anita Kumari had chances to score, breaking through, but in their way stood Leilane, the Brazilian keeper. Perhaps a reflection of what India can achieve - Leilane also comes from a humble background, but has thrived thanks to development by Ferroviaria - one of Brazil's most productive clubs in women's football.
The night, however, was all about Leilane's teammate in Ferroviaria - Aline. The winger was head and shoulders above everyone else on the pitch and capped it off with a stunning curled effort from range, right into the top corner. Throughout her time on the pitch, Aline underlined the difference in the two sides, tormenting Astam Oraon, her pace and trickery tying India's captain up in knots, so much so that Anita Kumari was forced to track back and aid her teammate.
Aline, meanwhile, has represented Brazil at the U-20 level and it was fortunate that Dudinha, also part of that U-20 team, was not fit enough to feature.
Brazil's ability to keep calm on the ball was reflective of the effort put into them - the national team may have had only nine games together ahead of the tournament, but the entire squad had a full season with their respective clubs/academies - Ferroviaria and giants like Fluminense, Sao Paulo, SC Internacional, Corinthians.
It was a Corinthians product, Lara, who put the gloss on the evening with two incredible goals worthy of her two favourite players, Neymar and Socrates. The celebrations, now for the fifth time, never wavered, the entire squad coming together in pure, unadulterated joy. Perhaps it was because, as Simone noted in the post-match press conference, that 'one of India's strength's was the defence'.
A bit of a strange thing to say after just having toyed with the same defensive unit, but Simone was keen to stress that Brazil have been making strides in every game this World Cup. Indeed, Jhonson and Carol, two players who were instrumental in their previous games looked quiet in comparison, but such is the wealth of talent within Brazilian football that players like Rebeca and Gabi Bershon stepped up. The South Americans made six changes to their lineup, but never lost a step, simply purring like Brazilian sides of yore, stringing together passes, inspite of India's energy hounding them at every turn.
As the final whistle blew, the celebrations continued, this time with Brazilian flags. For India, there was little to celebrate in a tournament where they conceded sixteen unanswered goals in three games.
A muted round of applause from the home support at the end isn't how this team envisioned this tournament playing out, but that was the reality of this entire endeavor. "I wish there was a new game tomorrow," said Dennerby after the game, but for some of these players, this may be the very pinnacle of their career in football.
Brazil might have brought jogo bonito to Indian shores, but for India, the beautiful game remains an elusive dream. We cannot celebrate that.