Iraq exited the tournament without a point to its name as it slumped to a thumping 5-0 defeat to Senegal at Toronto Stadium in its last match.

Senegal became the first African team to net five goals in a FIFA World Cup match as it capitalised on Rebin Sulaka's early red card.

Arnold, though, said: "Everyone in Iraq should be proud of the fact that we made it here and we performed very well in two out of the three games.

"The reality is, your national team is as strong as your local league. If your local league is not that strong, when you play against these type of opponents, you get punished.

"These boys, they've only ever seen these kinds of players play on TV. They've never played against this calibre of players before. Everything about it, it was a surprise to them.

"My job when I first came in was to qualify them for the World Cup. The miracle happened.

"It's been an enjoyable journey, an enjoyable World Cup, even if the results haven't been that great. But hopefully, the players will go away from this, enjoying the experience of being at a World Cup for the first time in 40 years, but also learning from mistakes."

Senegal recorded the biggest victory at the FIFA World Cup by an African nation and its biggest win at a major tournament.

Coach Pape Thiaw, however, sees scope for improvement.

"Even though we scored five goals, there ​are still improvements to be made," he said.