Exactly two years on from having their Euro 2024 hopes ended in cruel fashion, Wales' World Cup dreams were shattered in a similar vein as the Red Dragons suffered more penalty shoot-out heartache.
Craig Bellamy spoke about the confidence he had in his squad and his determination to see his troops attack Bosnia and Herzegovina from the first minute to the last in the play-off semi-final encounter in Cardiff.
And while there were a number of positives for the Red Wall to take, the outcome ultimately represented a failure as Wales' hopes of enjoying a mouth-watering home tie against four-time world champions Italy on Tuesday night evaporated in the blink of an eye.
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The hosts started on the front foot at Cardiff City Stadium, with their control of the ball causing Sergej Barbarez's side plenty of problems.
Fulham ace Harry Wilson was desperately unfortunate not to give the men in red the lead in the first-half as his curling strike smashed against the post.
However, Wales took a deserved lead in sublime fashion as Dan James - the only man to miss a spot-kick in the shoot-out against Poland exactly two years earlier - rifled beyond Nikola Vasilj from distance to send the home supporters into raptures. He also went close again after that when his deflected shot struck the crossbar. Fine margins indeed.
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But just as all seemed to be going to plan, the night shifted.
The visitors grew into the match, and their substitutions helped to tilt the game in their favour, whereas the alterations made by Bellamy did not.
After Jordan James limped off through injury, impressive duo Dan James and David Brooks were also hooked - likely due to their lack of full match fitness given they have not been regular starters for their clubs of late.
Sorba Thomas caused plenty of problems on the left flank after being summoned from the bench, although his final ball often left a lot to be desired, while the lack of a target man, like Kieffer Moore, in the box did not help the Stoke City winger.
Mark Harris and Liam Cullen - who have both been key squad figures under Bellamy - struggled to make a positive impact and have copped plenty of flak from supporters in the aftermath of the gut-wrenching loss.
Wales had already survived a major scare when Karl Darlow pulled off a monumental save to keep out an Ermedin Demirovic header.
But the pressure on the Wales goal kept building, and talisman Edin Dzeko - now 40 years of age - was left unmarked from a corner to nod beyond Darlow four minutes from time.
To their credit, Wales did manage to regroup in extra-time and pushed hard for a winner, although they ultimately lacked the killer instinct in the final third to avoid a shoot-out.
Just as Dan James experienced in 2024, there was more penalty anguish, this time for Brennan Johnson and Neco Williams, and Welsh fans were left to ponder alternative plans for their summers.
The upcoming period of reflection will be vital to Bellamy and his coaching staff.
How can they improve their in-game management in future?
Bellamy claimed his team are only built to go forwards, not to absorb pressure for long periods. But shouldn't they be able to do both?
Do adaptations need to be made given the limited player pool, which was dented further by the absences of Moore, Ben Davies and Chris Mepham for the current camp?
They will take huge pride and confidence from the performance of Cardiff City youngster Dylan Lawlor who once again shone at centre-back while captain Ethan Ampadu embodied the type of fight, spirit and quality that Bellamy will consistently want from his players.
But Bellamy himself now has a point to prove ahead of Euro 2028 qualifying and the Nations League A campaign as Wales look to get over the line to show their success between 2016 and 2022 was no flash in the pan.
The debate has begun and how Bellamy responds, through selections and performances, will go far to defining his reputation and legacy.
