Ramiro Funes Mori's 79th minute header in Wednesday's Copa Libertadores Final second-leg summed up the feeling seeping through the Tigres players and fans as they stood motionless and watched as their dream of continental glory was extinguished.
The Argentine defender reeled away and ran celebrating to the River Plate fans whilst their Mexican opponents stood still in their own half just longing for the match to end and for them to fly back home to Monterrey.
The impact of the Tigres defeat remains to be seen, but the importance with which they were considering their Copa Libertadores run was shown in their two Liga MX fixtures so far this season.
Manager Ricardo Ferretti fielded reserve sides against Toluca and Morelia in their opening two Apertura fixtures, losing them both and leaving the Monterrey side dwindling in the bottom half of the Primera division.
Ferretti's side made headlines in June with their big name signings and their clear ambitions to be the first Mexican side to claim the Copa Libertadores title.
The plan was very close to being successful as Tigres powered past Brazilian side Internacional before heading into the Final against River Plate.
Both legs of the final ultimately ended in disappointing performances. Tigres failed at the final hurdle and will now have to return to domestic football and work hard to return to the heights that they have just left.
Starting with their match on Saturday against Chivas, the season will be a real test for Ferretti's team and particularly the big name signings which were brought in for Copa Libertadores success.
Whether the star names of Gignac, Aquni and Damm are ready to work hard during the week-to-week matches of the regular season remains to be seen, but in order to rebuild the team's season these players will be vital. If Ferretti can work to instill patience in his side they could return to the heights of football soon enough.
In a couple of weeks time Tigres will begin their CONCACAF Champions League campaign against El Salvador side Isidro Metapan.
No doubt the glamour and prestige of the Copa Libertadores is gone for another year for Tigres, but Ferretti will need to motivate his players to ensure that his side return to the competition.
Tigres will have the chance to dominate their own region and if they are able to keep their team firing, they could overcome the rest of the competition, which includes several MLS sides, and feature in the Club World Cup in December for another chance at super stardom.
It would be easy for their defeat in the final to River to totally derail the Tigres season, and although it will no doubt have been a huge disappointment they must rise again in order to restart their season and capitalize on the opportunities they have to make themselves the global giant they were hoping to be.
This effort must start on Saturday against Chivas. With their home support at El Volcan, Tigres can roar again and although they may need to take the long route they can still make history and fulfill all the dreams that seemed destroyed just days ago.
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