The defending Asian Cup champions slumped out at the quarter final stage against a valiant United Arab Emirates, who despite a determined and largely dominant display by the Aussies, will feel they deserved the victory.

But while the Socceroos performances throughout the competition - a 1-0 loss to Jordan, 3-0 win against Palestine, 3-2 win against Syria, a penalties progression against Uzbekistan after a 0-0 draw and finally a 1-0 loss to the UAE - will take longer to properly analyse, the reaction from many on social media was swift and merciless.

But while largely drowned out by an upswell of frustrated Socceroos fans, angry at not only Australia's results, but their repetitive reliance on crosses, inconsistent defending and often listless attacking interplay, there were bright moments of optimism - largely coming from supportive footballers and pundits.