France proved too much for the brave Republic of Ireland as the hosts advanced to the Euro 2016 quarterfinals with a 2-1 win in Lyon.
Antoine Griezmann provided the spark needed for France with two goals in three minutes to erase an early lead by the Irish. Robbie Brady scored the lone goal in the second minute when he converted a penalty past French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
LA Galaxy captain Robbie Keane was an unused substitute in the match. Keane made two appearances during the tournament for the Irish.
Brady gave Ireland a shock lead in the second minute with a goal from the spot after Paul Pogba brought down Ireland striker Shane Long in the penalty area moments earlier. Ireland nearly doubled their lead in the 21st minute when Daryl Murphy saw his half-volley saved by Lloris.
The Irish lead finally gave way in the 58th minute when Griezmann nodded a header past Irish goalkeeper Darren Randolph. Griezmann completed the comeback just two minutes later when ran onto a ball placed perfectly by and launched his shot into the Irish net.
Things went from bad to worse for the Irish in the 66th minute when Irish defender Shane Duffy brought down Griezmann at the top of the box resulting in a red card for the Ireland man. Despite being down 10 men for 24 minutes, the Irish pressured the French multiple times but were unable to find their equalizer.
France must now prepare to face the winner of the England/Iceland Round of 16 match. They’ll do so without starters N'Golo Kanté and Adil Rami due to yellow card accumulation.
