Ireland's defence was absolutely shocking: Keane

Roy Keane has slammed Republic of Ireland's performance following their 4-0 thrashing by Spain, calling the defence "absolutely shocking".

The Boys in Green are the first team to be knocked out of Euro 2012 following convincing defeats against Croatia and the current holders.

Keane, a former Republic of Ireland international captain, was very critical of the mistake-ridden displays of Giovanni Trapattoni’s charges, and was particularly damning regarding their defensive display against the Spaniards.

"We came into the tournament with high hopes but they never turned up," Keane told ITV.

"Spain are world champions, [they are] fantastic, but the goals they [Republic of Ireland] gifted them tonight at any level were absolutely shocking."

Keane spoke of his personal disappointment following his country’s exit, and believed it highlighted the gap in quality between the Republic of Ireland and their opponents in this tournament.

"It's a reality check for a lot of the Irish players," Keane continued.

"I think a lot of them think they're top players, and it goes to show that they're so far behind a lot of these players."