Tahiti coach Eddy Etaeta admits they were given a harsh reality check at the Confederations Cup football tournament in Brazil.
The Oceania winners were thrashed 8-0 by Uruguay in their final group game on Monday and finished their first major FIFA tournament winless, conceding 24 goals and scoring just one in their three group matches.
Eddy Etaeta says the gulf in class with the top teams was significant.
"We've had three games, three lost, with a lot of goals against us. My feelings are I think the hard reality of football professionals at the high level. I'm really happy for my players because they tried to play football, they lost the ball, they tried to play with their passions. That's why I want to thank my players."
Eddy Etaeta says it was an honour to play against the likes of world champions Spain.
The semi finals begin on Thursday with hosts Brazil up against Uruguay before World Champions Spain meet Italy on Friday.
