“We played Brazil twice, Italy and Spain.

“It was always going to be tough, and I think that’s maybe why I got the goalkeeper trophy.

“We faced a lot of shots and a lot of pressure.

“I think if you look at the run that we had, nobody had a tougher challenge all the way through.

“We hope that the experiences that we got from the last three weeks will carry over next year.

“There is a lot of disappointment but we hope we can look back and be proud of what was done.”

Howard was in inspired form in the first half but was powerless to prevent the Brazilians taking control after the break.

“I felt like I was on a lot of the game,” he added.

“They created a lot of chances and eventually the dam broke.

“I can’t get my big behind in the way of everything, unfortunately.

“It’s amazing how off balance they put you. You have no idea what they’re going to do until they do it, then you react.

“That’s why they are who they are. All of their players are world class.

“Sometimes you have to give credit to the opponent. It’s not always as easy to look and pick mistakes from your own side.

“Sometimes you just have to take your hat off and say we got beaten by a better team.”