One by one, they have exited the World Cup stage that has been theirs for so long. Some, like Megan Rapinoe, restless and helpless, on the substitutes’ bench, could not hold back their tears. Others, like Marta or Christine Sinclair, who have managed to greet the end with grace.

Some others will depart over the next few days. Some will have a stay of execution for another week or so. One or two will have the ending they crave, inside the gleaming, golden bowl of Sydney’s Wellington Regional Stadium, with maybe a trophy in their hands and a grin across their faces. But whenever it ends, however they react, for all of them, this will be goodbye.