Aaron Mooy is a man of few outward emotions, and even fewer words. But there it was, a little jig and and a fist pump, as Tim Cahill's shot settled into the bottom corner of the net.
Mooy was happy for the Socceroos, he was happy for Cahill, but more importantly, he was happy for himself. It was his pass - a first-time ball weighted perfectly and delivered precisely - which had opened up the channel. Mooy had every right to feel pleased with contribution.
On a night when the Socceroos should have scored double figures in the World Cup qualifier against Kyrgyzstan, the Melbourne City midfielder was the best player on the park. The rise and rise of a player who couldn't lock down a starting spot at Western Sydney Wanderers 18 months ago has been extraordinary. Mooy is fast becoming the player the game has been searching for. And he's only just getting started. 
The praise has been coming thick and fast. Not least from the coach. Ange Postecoglou reckons he's the best player in the A-League. Lauding individuals is not Postecoglou's style, which tells you something. Is there a danger of Mooy getting carried away with the hype? Seemingly not. Sometimes he's so laidback you wonder if he's got a pulse.
Success has not come early, or easily. It's been earned. Released by Bolton Wanderers as a teenager, two frustrating years in Scotland hampered by injury, and then a couple of character-forming seasons at the Wanderers where Tony Popovic either never saw the potential, or chose not to unlock it. At the age of 25, the boy from the western suburbs of Sydney is finally blossoming into a player ready to make his mark on the international stage.
What makes Mooy different, and special, are two things. His set-piece delivery, and his vertical passing. Mooy doesn't take the safe option with the ball, he routinely chooses the difficult one. Plenty of midfielders try this, not many have his strike rate. Mooy opens up pockets in tight areas because he can control the ball and circulate it in a nanosecond, before defenders even think about reacting. His passing over distance is even more exact, and intelligent.
As for the dead ball, the Socceroos have rarely had anyone better. Mooy is the only player to come close to Australia's only world-class dead ball specialist, Con Boutsianis, when it comes to delivering free kicks and corners. Kyrgyzstan's own goal in Canberra came from two defenders who failed to read the whip on his corner. In an era when dead balls have become massively important, Mooy is a huge asset for club and country. For all this, he still has a long way to go. Postecoglou's decision to play narrow in Canberra perfectly suited the occasion. A game plan to pass through the opposition is tailor-made for Mooy, and let's be frank, Kyrgyzstan were distinctly second-rate. As the World Cup qualifying campaign gathers momentum, much tougher tests await. If Postecoglou decides to take a wider approach, and go outside the opposition, the challenge for Mooy - a player who lacks pace - is to show he can be just as useful in a different formation. In his favour is that he has a coach who believes in him, and he's too smart not to adapt.
Mooy is Australia's Andres Iniesta in waiting. The Barcelona superstar heard all the same doubts but has risen magnificently above them. Mooy could do worse than study Iniesta's journey to the summit.
In an era when athleticism is overrated, where too many coaches use physical benchmarks to disguise their own lack of ambition, Mooy is fortunate he has a national coach who chooses a different direction. Aim high is Postecoglou's message. Mooy is starting to believe him.