Australia claimed a famous 1-0 win over the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday night, keeping the Socceroos firmly on track for a fourth-successive World Cup appearance.
The match kicked off with the temperature reaching 37 degrees celsius with a ferocious humidity doubling the degree of difficulty.
Throw in 40,000 boisterous local fans and it meant that Ange Postecoglou's men had to deal a volatile atmosphere, and produce an excellent performance.
"The players put in an such an unbelievable amount of effort," the Socceroos coach said.
"It's okay for me to talk about playing a certain way but I'm not out there doing it.
"They're the ones that have the courage to go to their limits and play the football that we want them to play."
Players were granted breaks midway through each half, utilising iced towels, refreshing sprays and plenty of drinks to stay cool.
So exhausted were the players, Postecoglou said, there were no similar scenes of exaltation in the locker rooms.
But everyone felt the satisfaction of a famous victory -- Postecoglou's first in the Middle East from four visits.
Perhaps most satisfactorily for the 51-year-old, it came without straying from their high-intensity, attacking style.
"I can't guarantee results but I can guarantee we're going to play a certain way," he said.
"Playing away from home is always a challenge. Conditions, the opponents, the crowd.
"We've worked really hard to create a group that really believes what we're about and were prepared to take the game to the opposition."
The win puts Australia in pole position in their World Cup qualifying group with two wins from two matches.
Goalscorer Tim Cahill, who netted four minutes after coming off the bench, thanked his teammates for laying the groundwork for him to score.
"The way the game panned out, everything the boss asked of us we did. We were disciplined, we were patient," he said.
"The effort Tomi Juric put in to wear out defenders ... Lecks [Mathew Leckie]. Krusie [Robbie Kruse]. Midfield. The defence was immaculate.
"We knew they would tire, we got the overlap and a beautiful cross in. I got in behind the defender and that's my job, that's what I'm there to do."