Roy Keane gives brutally honest assessment on England losing Euro 2024 final to Spain
Roy Keane has given his harsh opinion on England’s Euro 2024 final loss to Spain.
Despite finding an equaliser through Cole Palmer in the 73rd minute, England lost their second successive European Championship final on Sunday night, as Spain won their fourth Euros trophy.
An 86th minute goal from substitute Mikel Oyarzabal restored his side's lead late in the match and secured the trophy for Spain.
And former Manchester United midfielder Keane didn’t hold back when assessing England’s performance in the match.
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Speaking to ITV, the Irish pundit said: “The best team won tonight. They were the best team throughout the tournament.
“I think tonight [England] lacked quality. They've lacked quality throughout the tournament. It was probably fight and desire, options off the bench that got them to this final.”
Spain had a flawless tournament at the Euros, winning a record-breaking seven successive matches in this year's competition.
Meanwhile England failed to impress in many of their games, often relying on late heroics from players like Ollie Watkins or Jude Bellingham to progress through the tournament.
“Top level sport is brutal. Sometimes the opposition are just better than you. Spain were excellent,” Keane added.
“You have to step back and be humble. It's great to win, but when you're beaten by the better team, take your medicine and regroup and go again...
“You go home, see your family, go on holiday, you're back in pre-season in a couple of weeks. You have to go again.”
But Keane’s advice to England’s player to go home and regroup cannot be mistaken for sympathy, as the 52-year-old argued that they were lucky to even reach the final after their Euro 2024 performances.
He added: “The real frustration for England will be that they've given their all. After the game when they got beaten, they'll think 'did we give it our best?
“They haven't given their best the last few games, they got away with it. Eventually, they got found out.”
Ben McCrum