Australia coach Holger Osieck was disappointed with the result but extremely proud of the way his players performed in Saturday night's Asian Cup final.
The Socceroos were beaten 1-0 by Japan in Doha after substitute Tadanari Lee scored with a superb volley in the 109th minute of play after the match ended goalless after the regular 90 minutes.
Despite finishing in second place at the tournament, Osieck heaped praise on his charges for showing great character and spirit throughout the competition.
"You can imagine how disappointed we are to come second because we had our opportunities," he said.
"Unfortunately, we couldn't convert them.
"But I'm very proud of the players, their performance and their attitude over the tournament, I'm full of credit.
"I feel very sorry for the boys that they didn't get the reward for their efforts."
Australia were the better of the two sides, providing plenty more chances than the Blue Samurai but they were left to rue their mistakes as Alberto Zaccheroni's side pounced in the dying stages to notch up the nation's fourth win in the Asian Cup.