When asked to sum up how he wanted his Ukraine side to be remembered, a crestfallen Oleksandr Petrakov struggled to break free from the shackles of an uncomfortable, almost stony silence.
His team had fought against almost all the odds to even get this far. But Wales, at a sodden Cardiff City Stadium, proved just a bridge too far for his team.
The scenes of Welsh jubilation at full-time reflected the collective catharsis for Rob Page's side, who after a 64-year absence are finally back at football's biggest party.
