Griezmann scores 2 as France beats Ireland 2-1 at Euro 2016

We win matches 1-0 and we are suffering right until the end.

“It will sound like an excuse and it’s not meant to be, but it is incredible”.

“We really speeded things up and that’s when we are most risky”.

France had a full week to recover from the group phase and prepare for the round-of-16 match. Some of the younger players have come of age and it’s up to them to take it further.

Brady’s second minute penalty, which was awarded after Paul Pogba had fouled Shane Long, gave Ireland something to hold onto as it attempted to pull off what would have been one of the most stunning results in the tournament’s history.

Shane Duffy saw red with 22 minutes remaining to rub salt into the wounds, but O’Shea – who came off the bench after the Blackburn Rovers man’s dismissal – accentuated the positives on an emotional day in Lyon.

No quarter was asked or given as things got heated on the pitch with four yellow cards dished out in the first-half.

“The match was going in their favour (Ireland’s) so we told each other that we mustn’t have any regrets and that we had to lift our game”, the Arsenal forward said.

O’Neill had stuck with the same starting 11 that defeated Italy, and they turned in another gutsy, physical performance to frustrate France’s vaunted attack in the first half.

Despite the defeat, the Irish fans were once again on top form, with players and staff taking time out after the final whistle to observe a superb rendition of “Fields of Athenry”.

“It’s all ifs, buts and maybes, but if we had gone another six, seven, eight minutes without conceding, there would have been a lot of pressure on France and I think we could have used that to our advantage”.

Spain midfielder Thiago Alcantara says “it’s hard to score and it’s hard to create opportunities against them”.

“When I analyse the qualification and the group we were put into, I think the team has done fantastically well. That’s my only annoyance”. “Today, it was Grizou who scored two goals and we’re all pleased with that”.

“We poured our heart and soul in the game, which has become nearly a prerequisite for us”.

“We knew at the start of the tournament that, if we took our place in the last 16, the chances are it was going to be a big differential between us and some of the sides we might play in the competition. We played well but we just couldn’t keep the door closed for long enough, which is disappointing”.

The Donegal man paid tribute to the team’s fans who were restricted to fewer than 5,000 tickets at the Stade de Lyon. The players applauded their fans, who responded with cheers and songs for several minutes.