Italy legend Gianfranco Zola, who was at the game for BBC Sport, was particularly impressed with the Charles brothers, midfielder Shea and goalkeeper Pierce, who he described as “brilliant”.
“This national team has a very good future, they have potential and they need to keep growing and improving,” said the former Chelsea forward.
“When they get something more in the final third of the pitch there will be a big improvement.”
Those are big words from a player and pundit of Zola’s stature, and O’Neill echoed those thoughts.
He described 20-year-old Sheffield Wednesday stopper Pierce, who missed the entire group campaign through injury, as “magnificent”, and felt Shea and fellow midfielder Ethan Galbraith “could both play at a higher level” than Championship clubs after impressing against Tonali, Manuel Locatelli and Nicolo Barella.
O’Neill said he could praise every player in his team for how they adapted on a big stage.
“The saves that he made at key moments, but his [Pierce’s] decision making was excellent,” he added.
“He doesn’t bring any pressure on to his back three, which I think is rare in a goalkeeper of that age. He’s got a brilliant temperament.
“There were great performances all over the pitch tonight, but Pierce in particular had a very strong performance.
“The difficulty, as I say, is having depth in our squad to deal with when players are not available to us – and that’s something that will take a bit of time.
“There’s no way to fast track that. We just have to be patient.”
