No-nonsense pundit Roy Keane shared his England sympathy after their World Cup heartache against France but underlined the brutal reality of top level football.
And his words of compassion on the live ITV broadcast came amid social media users being treated to the re-emergence of the then Sunderland manager's infamous slaughter job ahead of Fabio Capello's side flopping spectacularly at the 2010 World Cup. But the 51-year-old certainly wasn't looking to put the boot in during the Doha drama as Harry Kane and Co were left heartbroken in the wake of their 2-1 defeat which extinguished their dream of becoming world champions.
He said on ITV: "Just a reminder top level sport is brutal. Absolutely brutal. I thought England were outstanding, the better team but you have to give France credit, they know how to win the game, they weren’t at their best but they found a way. Really tough on England." But that measured conclusion was in stark contrast to the brutal slapdown of the class of 2010 -which has aged remarkably well considering the disastrous efforts in South Africa.
