Robert Lewandowski was reduced to tears as his aspirations of competing at one final World Cup were shattered in devastating fashion.
The 37-year-old Poland captain, who holds his nation's records for both caps and goals, saw his hopes extinguished when Sweden claimed a 3-2 victory in their UEFA play-off final.
The Barcelona forward, still donning a protective face covering following an eye socket fracture sustained in February, had previously represented Poland at both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.
In Qatar, he netted twice as his side progressed to the round of 16 before falling to France.
The encounter in Stockholm proved a rollercoaster affair, with Jan Urban's men demonstrating remarkable resilience.
Poland had travelled to the Swedish capital after overcoming Albania in the previous round to secure their place in the decisive fixture.
Twice the visitors found themselves trailing, and twice they hauled themselves level, with the scoreline locked at 2-2 from the 55th minute onwards.
Robert Lewandowski cut a frustrated figure as Poland failed to qualify for the World Cup
|GETTY
Yet heartbreak awaited in the closing stages when Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres latched onto a rebound and fired home with just two minutes of normal time remaining, sending the home supporters into raptures whilst leaving the Polish contingent devastated.
The scene following the final whistle was one of utter dejection for Poland's talisman.
Clutching his protective mask, Lewandowski cut a forlorn figure as he acknowledged the travelling supporters who had made the journey to Stockholm.
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The striker then walked away looking utterly crestfallen before appearing to brush tears from his eyes.
In a poignant moment, he turned back towards the Polish faithful once more, seemingly offering an apology for coming so agonisingly close to guiding them to the tournament in North America.
For the veteran forward, what would almost certainly have been his final World Cup appearance had slipped away.
Supporters took to social media to express their sorrow at witnessing one of football's modern greats denied what would surely have been his swansong on the world stage.
Viktor Gyokeres was the hero for Sweden as they reached the World Cup
|GETTY
"So sad, he deserved his last World Cup," wrote one fan, whilst another described it as "one of those images that really hurts."
Others simply posted "a heartbreaking moment" and "we will miss you."
The contrast with Swedish celebrations could not have been starker.
Graham Potter, dismissed by West Ham just six matches into the campaign, will now guide the Blagult to face the Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia in Group F, ending their absence from the tournament after missing out in 2010, 2014 and 2022.