"The best team won" - Roy Keane delivers honest England verdict after Euro 2024 final heartbreak
Roy Keane gave an honest assessment of England's Euro 2024 performance after the defeat to Spain in the final. The Three Lions suffered a 1-2 defeat at the Olympiastadion on Sunday, July 14.
Nico Williams (47') gave Spain the lead before Cole Palmer made the score 1-1 for a while with his 73rd-minute strike. Mikel Oyarzabaal netted the winner for Spain in the 86th minute.
Keane has now assessed England's campaign, opining that Spain were the better team on the night of the final. The Manchester United legend added that England lacked quality throughout the tournament but reached the final based on their fighting spirit.
They eventually got found out in the final, as per Keane, who said on iTV (via Manchester Evening News):
"The best team won tonight. They [Spain] 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."
Roy Keane added that it's time for Gareth Southgate's lot to return home and spend quality time with family. He feels that the group should reunite and assess the areas needed to improve to end their misfortune on the international stage.
After finishing as runner-up at Euro 2020, Gareth Southgate's side once again failed to cross the final hurdle at Euro 2024. They have been searching for a major international trophy since the 1966 Jules Rimet World Cup triumph.
England's Euro 2024 campaign: Recap
England started their Euro 2024 journey with a narrow 1-0 win against Serbia. They drew the other two group games, against Denmark (1-1) and Slovenia (0-0). Southgate's side grabbed the win from the jaws of defeat in the round of 16 against Slovakia. Jude Bellingham equalized in injury time of that game before Harry Kane scored the winner at the start of extra time.
England once again bounced back from a goal down to eventually beat Switzerland via penalties in the quarter-finals.
A stunner from Ollie Watkins in the dying embers of the semi-final sealed a 2-1 win for them against the Netherlands. While the Three Lions managed to launch a comeback yet again in the final, Spain had the final laugh, recording their seventh straight win to lift Euro 2024.