Just simply outplayed by Spain – with all the spark and supremacy to smother England.
Gareth Southgate could have few complaints; there are only so many times England can conjure comebacks.
And so Berlin 2024 joins the roll call of nights where England’s dreams turned to despondency.
Southgate did take the Three Lions closer than any predecessor to bringing football home with their first finals since 1966.
And both Euros finals were determined by fine margins – a shootout defeat to Italy three years ago at Wembley and conceding a late Mikel Oyarzabal winner last night in their first overseas final.
Is this just how it will be for England’s men? More oh-so-nears.
Gareth Southgate’s future
In Berlin’s fan zones, England fans sang out until hope turned to heartbreak
Southgate bats away questions about his England future – but says players have ‘done the country proud’
Spain 2-1 England: Player ratings from Euro 2024 final as Luke Shaw rises to the occasion but Harry Kane woes prolong trophy wait
Is this the end of the road for Southgate after eight years?
The 53-year-old was non-committal after the 2-1 defeat to Spain.
“It’s hard to reflect so soon after a defeat like this,” he said. “I need to have those conversations with important people behind the scenes. I’m obviously not going to discuss that publicly first.”
But the drained demeanour at times in Germany indicates that after eight years he could decide on a break from the dugout.
He has been hurt by the level of scrutiny and scorn – often from former players as much as supporters – but Southgate clearly thinks this group has more to give.
“Without a doubt, England have got some fabulous young players and even the young ones now have got a lot of experience of tournaments,” he said.
“Many of this squad are going to be in two, four, six, eight years’ time.
“We have now been consistently back in the matches that matter but it’s the last step that we haven’t been able to do.”
A ‘worn out’ Harry Kane
Did that need Southgate to take an extra bold step – by taking Harry Kane off sooner?
England’s all-time top-scorer is only 30 but looked worn out by the demands of the season.
Only after the captain came off did England look more energised.
And it was one of the tournament newcomers, Cole Palmer, who scored the equaliser. But the Premier League’s young player of the year never played more than 25 minutes in any game at the Euros.
But overall, as Southgate concluded, counterattacks were lacking and they struggled to retain possession.
“We actually didn’t really use the ball well until we were a goal down,” Southgate said, “and then we had a decent period in the game.”
Read more:
Heartbreak for England as Spain win Euro 2024 final
‘We came up against a better team’ – gutted fans
But then it was just too late.
Spain are kings of Europe for the fourth time.
But will Southgate ever bring football home?
He has confounded history by turning the Three Lions into penalty shootout winners but conquering the summit is proving beyond them.
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But for England, the final step to glory is proving the hardest leap.
