The Republic of Ireland gave it a good go, didn’t they?
Through one of the toughest groups, they progressed, and against arguably the toughest opponents of the knockout stage, Ireland gave a right scare.
Martin O’Neill’s men stunned the Stade de Lyon crowd into silence with Robbie Brady’s unlikely opener and the players defended like warriors throughout the first half.
But the extra rest days paid off for France, who began punishing Irish tiredness on the hour mark.
Someone who can relate to starting strong but dropping off due to a depleted gas tank is Conor McGregor, who is preparing to rebound from his most recent defeat to Nate Diaz.
McGregor, the UFC featherweight champion of the world, knows what it takes to put Ireland on the world map and he’s full of praise for the performance of the players who poured absolutely everything into the European Championships.
Moments after the final whistle on Sunday, ‘The Notorious’ sent out this tweet commending the style and heart of his countrymen.
Head held high always
We were like something out of la liga at times out there. And we lumped into tackles too. Hard luck boys #DeservedMore— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 26, 2016
Couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
France will now face the winner of Iceland versus England, which takes place in Nice on Monday.
