England fell short once again against an old foe – the penalty shootout – as they suffered Euro 2020 final heartbreak.
There’s no need to clean up the spare room just yet – football isn’t coming home. Instead, it’s coming Rome.
England suffer penalty pain in Euro 2020 finalOn an emotional night for England, which started so well with a goal in the second minute, it ended in agony after penalties saw Italy victorious following a 1-1 draw.
Here’s how social media took it all in.
We’re not crying, you are…Before kick-off, this got us in the mood.
What a Shaw-stopperIt did not take England very long to get off the mark. Two minutes in, Luke Shaw scored with his left to put the home side ahead.
Shaw’s renaissance seems to be continuing apace.
The fans certainly enjoyed it.
Penny for the thoughts of former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, who has been critical of Shaw in the past.
Cruise controlAmong the fans at Wembley, David Beckham and Tom Cruise looked like they were enjoying things.
Italian job not done yetAs half-time approached, Federico Chiesa delivered a little reminder to England not to get complacent.
That would have been his third goal of the tournament.
Trying to keep coolActor Ross Kemp, as usual, was there to offer some words of encouragement to the team, that included stuff like: “Cool heads.” It doesn’t look like he’s following his own advice really.
Italian RenaissanceItaly were knocking on the door in the second half, and eventually got their reward in the 67th minute.
The man who inspired Italy’s comeback was the evergreen Leonardo Bonucci.
Classy ChiesaChiesa was substituted late on in the game. But it had been some performance.
Shirt swapIt was a very tough second half for England, with Italy in control.
As extra time loomed, Giorgio Chiellini must have thought things were all over because he went to swap shirts early with Bukayo Saka.
Cometh the hourOne of the biggest cheers of the night from the England fans came in extra time, when Jack Grealish was brought on for Mason Mount.
Could have seen redThere was a bad foul on Grealish in the second half of the extra period.
Penalties again for SouthgateAs if it was written in the stars, penalties would decide the fate of Gareth Southgate’s men.
Southgate of course missed a penalty at Euro ’96One for anyone who remembers Southgate’s Pizza Hut advert following Euro ’96’It’s coming to Rome’In the end, it was spot-kick suffering for England once again.
Pride in defeatDespite the disappointment, Southgate’s team were praised for their overall efforts.
In particular, there was a lot of love and support for the young players who were brave enough to step up and take a penalty.
Hope for the futureAnd lots of pundits backed England to keep getting better.
The lads even got the Royal seal of approval.
Big hands on the trophyFittingly, Italy’s goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, the hero in two penalty shootouts in the tournament, was named Player of Euro 2020.
‘It’s going to hurt now’Skipper Harry Kane summed up the feelings of the England camp after the match.
Last word(s) for BonucciWhat a night for Italy’s Leonardo Bonucci. Named Uefa’s ‘Star of the Match’, the Juventus defender scrambled the equaliser, scored his penalty in the shootout, and then screamed down the pitchside camera “It’s coming to Rome!” as Italy celebrated. The 34-year-old was just as busy post-match…
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