John O'Shea said the Republic of Ireland will take great pride from giving the supporters something to be proud of after they bowed out of Euro 2016 against France on Sunday afternoon.
Antoine Griezmann's second-half brace brought the underdogs crashing down to earth following a dream start, when Robbie Brady's penalty fired Ireland ahead two minutes in.
Shane Duffy saw red with 22 minutes remaining to rub salt into the wounds, but O'Shea - who came off the bench after the Blackburn Rovers man's dismissal - accentuated the positives on an emotional day in Lyon.
"It was so unfortunate for Shane, he'd been playing so well and he had to take that chance because obviously if we had conceded another one it would definitely been the end of it," O'Shea told RTÉ Sport.
"He took the card for the team. We were still plugging away to try and get that equaliser, but I'm so proud of everyone involved."
The fans had the team, the players and the coaching staff to be proud of
The 35-year-old was a part of the squad that limped so badly out of Euro 2012 in Poland and said the nature of their exit this time round was a big consolation.
The players saluted the Green Army at the final whistle as a rollercoaster two weeks came to an end.
"There's no comparison [to the performance at Euro 2012 in Poland]. That's why it was a special moment at the end when we were in the corner just showing our appreciation to the fans.
"That's something we were fully involved with this time around. The fans had the team, the players and the coaching staff to be proud of. That was something that was hugely important to us."
Sunderland veteran O'Shea refused to be drawn on his future in a green shirt, though it looks likely that he, Robbie Keane and Shay Given will finally call time on their lengthy international careers.
"I'm not going to think about it now," he said. "I'm just going to enjoy some company this evening with the staff and the players and reflect on some positive things, and also things we know we can improve on going forward. Let's wait and see."
