When referee François Letexier blew his whistle for the last time at 10:53 p.m. on Sunday in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Gareth Southgate stood there as if petrified. The coach of the English national football team then slowly moved to the side and stood in front of the cheering crowd of the new Spanish European champions. It was only when one of the celebrators alerted Southgate’s fellow coach Luis de la Fuente that someone was waiting to congratulate him that he was able to convey his congratulations. Southgate then turned his attention to the losers, of which he was one.

The English national coach had to deal with difficult minutes late in the evening on the pitch in the German capital. While the stands emptied of fans, many players and team members stood there with blank looks. 58 years of pain were finally supposed to end, 58 years after the World Cup victory in 1966, the English were finally supposed to win a football trophy again. But that didn’t happen. Spain won the final 2-1 and prolonged the English patient’s terrible pain by at least two years, until the end of the 2026 World Cup.

After an uneventful first half, the Spanish took the lead through Nico Williams in the 47th minute. Substitute Cole Palmer equalized (73′). When many expected extra time, Mikel Oyarzabal scored England’s decisive goal (86′). “Losing a final is very hard,” said Southgate later in the catacombs, but he also had to admit: “We lost to the better team.” That was undoubtedly the case. In the second half, Spain showed the class that the “Selección” had already shown throughout the tournament and crowned themselves.

“We didn’t have the energy”

The pain that the English had failed again and, after the 2021 final at their own Wembley Stadium against Italy, had now lost their first final at a tournament outside the country, was written on everyone’s faces. They stood on the pitch in mourning and watched the record European champions celebrate their fiesta. Two players seemed particularly shaken by the defeat: Jude Bellingham sat in the penalty area for a long time with his head buried before he finally got up and high-fived everyone. Captain Harry Kane was hardly less disappointed.

The Bayern Munich striker was substituted after just an hour. Such an action is normally a no-go, but Southgate had no other choice. It was obvious that Kane was not in a condition to help his team profitably. He only had 13 touches of the ball, and he lost many balls and tackles. The injury he sustained at his club’s end of the season also hampered him during the European Championship. “There was a lot of pressure on his shoulders, he did well,” said Southgate. But that was only half the truth.

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Ollie Watkins came on for Kane, as he had in the semi-final against the Netherlands in Dortmund, to “put more pressure on the defence,” as Southgate said. Back then, the Aston Villa striker scored the winning goal just before the end. This time, too, the momentum that he and Palmer, who also came on as a substitute, brought to the English game was noticeable to everyone; Palmer equalized with a shot after a lay-off from Bellingham. But just when the English thought they might be able to turn the final around, Spain launched a decisive counterattack. It suddenly shattered the old English dream. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

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Bellingham was also due to be taken off the pitch earlier, although everyone knew that he could score at the last minute, even after the round of 16 match against Slovakia. In Berlin, however, the former Dortmund player was clearly suffering from exhaustion. He had to keep supporting himself and stretching his legs. “We would have liked to have substituted four or five players, and we wanted to bring on Connor Gallagher for Bellingham in front of goal,” said Southgate about the dramatic final phase, noting: “We didn’t have the energy.” Oyarzabal’s goal finally pulled the plug on England.

“Conceding a late goal is really hard to take,” said Kane after he and his team lost the final three years ago, on penalties. “These finals are not easy to reach,” said the 30-year-old striker. “You have to be there when you get to them. And we didn’t manage it again. This is extremely painful and will hurt for a long time.” It is difficult to put into words “how we are feeling right now,” said Kane, who never won a title – and, curiously, was one of six European Championship players to become top scorer with three goals.

The pictures from the European Championship finalSpanish joy of playing and English drama

It is an award that will not make up for the disappointment. But Kane still has further chances to win titles with England. It was unclear on Sunday whether his coach will still be Gareth Southgate. He took over in 2016 and led the “Three Lions” to the semi-finals and quarter-finals of two European Championship finals and World Cups. When Southgate was asked about his future, he said: “It’s hard to think about it so soon after such a defeat.” The pain will not go away quickly. 58 years of English suffering will continue for at least two years.

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