Darren Randolph: You never know if you are going to get back here again

Darren Randolph did everything he possibly could to extend the Republic of Ireland’s stay in France but, when their exit visa was stamped, the finality of the moment struck home for the West Ham United goalkeeper.

Of all the players who collapsed to the turf at the Stade de Lyon, it was Randolph who took longest to recover his feet and only then after comforting words from Shay Given and Keiren Westwood.

Both of his goalkeeping colleagues, rivals for the jersey in the run-up to the tournament, offered a shoulder to cry on for Randolph as the tears flowed and the thought struck that this could actually be as good as it gets.