England failed to end 58 years of pain as their Euro 2024 final defeat by Spain in Berlin still leaves the 1966 World Cup as their only men’s trophy.
For the fourth game in a row England came from behind, but this time they fell short with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring a late winner to break their hearts.
Nico Williams’ strike early in the second half put Spain ahead but Cole Palmer’s brilliant leveller had looked set to send the game into extra time before Oyarzabal pounced four minutes from time.
This was the second European Championship final in a row that Gareth Southgate’s side have lost, after falling to Italy on penalties in 2021, with 1966 their only major tournament final before that.
The country has yet to win senior football tournament abroad, with the 1966 success and Women’s Euro 2022 final – which England won – both at Wembley.
Southgate’s contract runs until the end of the year so this could prove to be his final major tournament after eight years in charge.
England started slowly in Germany, with performances criticised and the Three Lions close to elimination twice, but the last two rounds gave England fans cause to dream – until losing to Spain, the outstanding team throughout this Euros.
When England won their home World Cup in 1966, beating West Germany 4-2 in the final with Geoff Hurst scoring a hat-trick, many fans may not have imagined that would remain their only success for at least 60 years.
Since then a combined 29 men’s World Cups and European Championships have passed and, until 2021, they had never been back to a final.
England fans dwelled on the agonising near misses in the knockout stages of major tournaments – Diego Maradona’s handball in 1986, losses on penalties to Germany in 1990 and 1996. Current boss Southgate missed a penalty in the latter too.
And there were all the years they did not even get close, failing to qualify for the 1994 World Cup and 2008 Euros – and a few group-stage exits – too.
It felt as if all that may change in 2021 when England reached the final in the continent-wide Euro 2020, although most of their games were at Wembley, including the showpiece against Italy.
They took an early lead but ended up losing on penalties after extra time. Having waited 55 years for that final, it is a fine achievement by Southgate and his team that the next one followed just three years later. But this one too ended in tears.
