“if you smell danger and you think: ‘We’re in trouble here,’ then yeah, you do whatever you can to get the right result […] You might get a yellow card, you might even get a red but your team might win. Sacrifices. You have to make sacrifices for your team.”: Roy Keane.

On 66 minutes Shane Duffy made the ultimate sacrifice for his team, chopping down Antoine Griezmann, who was clean through on the Irish goal, and looked certain to score.

In truth, Duffy had no other option but to take down the flying Frenchman, who shone bright in the blazing Lyon sun. Les Bleus were 2-1 up and now a man up, it was game over for the Irish.

And so ended Martin O’Neill and his team’s impressive EURO 2016 campaign. A campaign that concludes with pride fully restored to the green jersey and the ghosts of 2012 banished once and for all.

The boys in green’s final two games in this tournament have been nothing short of inspirational. Performances that reduced grown men to tears; performances loaded with passion, determination and flashes of fantastic flowing football.

For four days a nation walked with a collective pep in their step, in the last 16 for the first time ever, after a superlative performance against the Italians in their final group game. The performance had lifted the morale of the Emerald Isle to lofty heights.

The grit and desire to fight to the bloody end and to dominate Italy in Lille, will live long in the memory. It was quite possibly the most outstanding 90 minutes of football an Irish team has produced in a tournament, and the most control applied by an Irish team.

“That goal”, is now what Robbie Brady’s stunning 85th minute header will be referenced as. To be held in the pantheon of Ireland’s greatest sporting moments, a moment that cannot be taken away from all of those who watched and witnessed it.

And to today, a showing that had the tournament’s host hot under the collar . Captain Coleman and his men got off to the most stunning of starts, with Ireland’s player of the tournament, firing in a pinpoint penalty.

A nation believed for 45 minutes, a nation held its breath for 45 minutes, as Martin O’Neill’s men held firm till the half-time whistle, exerting control and composure as France knocked on the door.

The second-half and France had found a few extra gears, the Irish couldn’t cope and the added pressure was reflected in a second-half scoreline that could easily have been more, only for West Ham’s impervious Darren Randolph.

“We are just so disappointed at the minute. I suppose that shows how well we have done. I just felt like it was there for us today. said Seamus Coleman.

“Our fans were unbelievable and we’d love to go a bit further for them, but we hope we made people proud”

Not just the people, but a nation made proud.