SNAPSHOT OF AUSTRALIA'S ASIAN CUP LOSS TO SOUTH KOREA:-
* Result: South Korea 2 beat Australia 1 in extra-time at Al Janoub Stadium, Doha
* Key moment: With Australia leading 1-0 and the seconds ticking down in injury time, South Korea's superstar captain Son Heung-min made another desperate run forward. Right-back Lewis Miller needlessly dived in on Son and when a penalty was awarded, Australian hearts sank. The Socceroos never really recovered after Hwang Hee-chan converted the spot-kick.
* Player of the match: Son Heung-min. The South Korea superstar was well-held for much of the match but stood up when it counted. He won the penalty off Miller, then when the Socceroos defender brought down Hwang, stepped up and curled a wonderful free kick into the top corner. It proved the winner. Skipper Maty Ryan was arguably Australia's best, along with goalscorer Craig Goodwin and left-back Aziz Behich.
* Stat that matters: Coach Graham Arnold's third Asian Cup at the helm ended at the same point as his other two - in the quarter-finals. As interim coach, he oversaw a loss to Japan in the final eight, albeit in a smaller tournament without a round-of-16 in 2007. As full-time boss at the expanded tournament in 2019 and 2024, the United Arab Emirates and South Korea bundled Australia out in the quarters.
* Quote: "It's hard to kind of process it all - obviously just now being probably 30 seconds away from a semi-final and then finding yourself on the plane home. Yeah, it hurts." - Socceroos midfielder Jackson Irvine sums up the devastation.
* What's next: As Irvine said, the players are on the plane home, left to lick their wounds and return to action with their clubs. For some, that could be the end of their international careers. The Socceroos return to action in March for their next World Cup qualifiers against Lebanon.
