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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Callum Vurley

Paul Pogba makes Roy Keane look foolish after he claimed "I could play" in Swiss midfield

Paul Pogba has made Roy Keane eat his words in the ITV studio after his harsh comments at half-time.

It comes as France and Switzerland put on an absolute classic show in Bucharest in the first knockout round of Euro 2020.

Didier Deschamps' men are the favourites to win the tournament but had a shocking first-half which saw Haris Seferovic net the opener.

The 2018 World Cup champions were ponderous after a change in formation that saw Adrien Rabiot play as a left wing-back.

The experiment clearly failed and Deschamps made some switches of personnel but the likes of Keane, Patrick Vieira and Gary Neville were not impressed at half-time.

Roy Keane was not impressed at half-time (ITV)

Speaking to Mark Pougatch, the former Manchester United midfielder was particularly scathing - as usual.

Keane said: “The one thing you need in football is enthusiasm. They don't look like they've got an appetite for the game.

"They're not playing as a team. For all the quality they have, two lads in midfield are all over the place, the strikers are just hanging on to their quality that that will be enough. That's not enough at this level.

"I could play for Switzerland tonight. If you gave me time on the ball, I'd still be playing. They're in huge trouble."

However, Pogba made Keane look foolish by the end of the 90 minutes after an inspired display that roped the French back into the match.

The United star was heavily involved in both Karim Benzema goals before his own stunning effort that left jaws on the floor.

His curling effort right into the top corner of Yann Sommer's net would surely have had Keane tight-lipped in the studio.

Next to Chelsea star N'Golo Kante, Pogba has played out of his skin for France and the two have a remarkable partnership for Les Bleus.

In the 30 matches they have started together, France have never lost - and they did not look like they wanted to give up that record anytime soon after the second-half whistle.

Who will win the Euros this summer? Have your say in the comments below.

But the drama did not stop there, as Switzerland came back into the match in extraordinary circumstances.

Vladimir Petkovic’s men looked dead and buried before Seferovic grabbed his second of the night with another brilliant header in the 81st minute.

And as the clock trickled into added time, Mario Gavranovic netted an equaliser to send fans into the raptures.

Pogba continued to impress in extra-time with some mesmeric passing, including one late into the second-half that released Marcus Thuram down the left-hand flank.

But it was not enough as France were sent crashing out of the Euros at the round of 16 as Switzerland won on penalties on an incredible night of football.

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