Roy Keane felt England were the better team against France, but praised Didier Deschamps' side for finding a way to win "when they weren’t at their best".
Harry Kane missed a late penalty as England’s World Cup dreams ended in a heartbreaking defeat to the reigning champions in a blockbuster quarter-final clash.
Having reached the semi-finals in 2018 and finished as runners-up at last year’s European Championship, Gareth Southgate’s men were dreaming of a mouthwatering semi-final against Morocco.
READ MORE: England crash out of World Cup 2022 after Harry Kane's penalty nightmare
Their hopes were dashed by Aurelien Tchouameni’s early thunderbolt, only for Kane to level from the spot and equal Wayne Rooney’s goalscoring record for England.
France’s all-time scorer Olivier Giroud restored the World Cup holders’ lead and it proved to be the winner after Kane blazed over a late penalty in a crushing 2-1 quarter-final exit.
But former Republic of Ireland midfielder Keane backed Kane to bounce back from his heartbreak.
Keane said on ITV: “For all the disappointments, you’d still ask him to take the next one. He’s a brilliant player, a brilliant professional.
“But it’s a huge setback for him, you’d think he’d hit the target but he fluffed his lines.”
Keane felt defeat was harsh on England.
He said: “It’s brutal. I thought England were outstanding. They covered well and were the better team but you have to give France credit for finding a way to win when they weren’t at their best. That’s what it’s about but it’s really tough on England.”
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