Roy Keane and Ian Wright were quick to defend Declan Rice on ITV, with anchor Mark Pougatch receiving a bit of stick for suggesting the England midfielder could have done better with a late chance in the Euro 2024 final.
England once again fell just short, as Spain clinched victory in Berlin thanks to Mikel Oyarzabal's decisive goal. In the tense final moments, Rice had a golden opportunity from a corner, heading the ball towards goal only for Unai Simon to make a save.
Marc Guehi's follow-up header was then dramatically cleared off the line by Dani Olmo, sealing England's fate. Pougatch put the spotlight on Rice's chance during the post-match analysis, questioning if he should've capitalized, but both Keane and Wright were quick to dismiss the notion. Wright retorted: "He's hit the target, Mark, you're being harsh there."
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Keane supported Wright's view, leading Pougatch to justify his question by stating, "It's a question, that's my job." The pundits, including Gary Neville, managed to share a laugh despite dissecting the narrow defeat.
Throughout the tournament, England's performances were less than convincing, yet the team managed to reach another major final. Gareth Southgate's players continued their trend of going behind early when Nico Williams scored, and although Cole Palmer sparked hopes of a comeback, it wasn't enough in the end.
Keane was forthright in his assessment of England's performance, stating that the team lacked the necessary quality and perhaps even the fight and desire that had previously propelled them to the final. He acknowledged Spain's superiority, saying on the Three Lions: "What they lacked tonight is quality. They've lacked quality maybe throughout the tournament, probably that fight and desire, options off the bench that got them to the final. But when you're watching it, and again I've always said top level sport is brutal, it really is.
"We (as ex-players) have lost big games. Sometimes the opposition are just better than you. Spain were excellent. We're talking about options off the bench, those boys done okay. They deserved it. To win seven games in a row, that's amazing."
