It was just a four-minute cameo at the end of the frustrating loss to England - but Mohamed Toure's emotional debut might just have been the quiet launchpad for a lad who's going to score for the Socceroos for years to come.
Craig Goodwin certainly believes so. Toure's old friend from his Adelaide United days watched his 19-year-old teammate take his bow at Wembley and couldn't have been happier for the lad, nor more sure that his amazing journey had a long way to run.
"Oh, I was buzzing. I could see his face, he was so excited when the boss called his name. He's someone with massive potential, someone, in my opinion, who could be the Socceroos striker for the next 10 years," said Goodwin.
"So if he can be here, learn and grow from that and go away and take confidence and start producing massively at club level. I think it's only the beginning for Mo."
It's already been an extraordinary rise for Toure. What a tale! The baby, one of seven siblings, born to fleeing Liberian parents at a refugee camp in Guinea, who, with his family, went on to discover a new life in Australia and such a rare footballing talent that he was an A-League scorer at 15.
The Socceroos bow always felt inevitable for this precocious talent who's now making significant strides in France with Ligue 2 club Paris FC, on loan from top-flight Reims.
But it left him reflecting with pride on how he'd reached this destination at one of the world's great stadiums - and he knew who to thank.
"A special moment for me and my family," he said. "There were a lot of emotions (when I was given the call to come on). I can't really describe the feeling, it was just joy. I'm doing what I love at one of the most iconic stadiums in the world.
"To my parents, thank you," he added, doubtless reflecting on how Amara and Mawa spent 14 years at that refugee camp in Guinea before the move to South Australia.
"The struggles they go through when we were younger, to get us to play. Sometimes we forget where it all started and who actually put in the work from the start, so you've got to thank your parents. Always. Forever grateful."
In those four minutes under the arch, there was an immediate glimpse of Toure's power, touch and control as he barrelled through on a midfield charge.
So what if Goodwin is right? What if Toure could be the key to helping the Socceroos discover what they were so evidently missing on Friday - someone to finish all their good work?
Jackson Irvine admitted it was becoming a bit galling that they were not finishing the job, letting victories slip away when playing well. Since the World Cup, they've won just one of five matches, albeit against tough opposition.
"Absolutely, it's frustrating," he said. "Being 2-0 up against Mexico and letting that slip, and then again at Wembley where you could argue we should have won.
"We want to be that team that's respected on the world stage and can play against top-class opposition - but we want to show that we can also beat those teams. For us, that's got to be the next step."
That's why Irvine feels Tuesday's (Wednesday AEDT) battle for the newly-rediscovered Soccer Ashes trophy against New Zealand at Brentford in London is key to getting them back on track before World Cup qualifiers and Asian Cup.
Toure will be hoping for another, more substantial outing in London, but, either way, he can't help looking forward.
"I have two brothers, Al Hassan (an Australian Under-23 international who's playing in Turkey for Sanliurfaspor) and Musa (a 17-year-old following in Toure's footsteps at Adelaide) and hopefully we can all play together.
"I played with both of them at United, but to play in the gold together would be extremely special."
His dreams, clearly, are only just beginning.
