England’s shattered players arrived back into Stansted Airport this afternoon with captain Harry Kane admitting he was “heartbroken” by the defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final last night.
The Three Lions went down 2-1 in Berlin with their wait to land a major international trophy set to hit 60 years by the time the World Cup comes round again in 2026.
Despite reaching the final, it was a pretty underwhelming tournament for England’s players and manager Gareth Southgate, who will take some time to consider his future.
BREAKING: The Three Lions squad have arrived back in England after losing the 2024 Euro final against Spain in Berlin 🚨✈️ pic.twitter.com/fMm1lZrxaz
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 15, 2024
Kane scored three goals in Germany to finish as the joint winner of the Golden Boot but he was a long way short of his sparkling best.
And on X this afternoon he outlined his disappointment with a post that read: “Heartbroken we couldn’t achieve what we worked so hard to.
“It was a long, tough tournament and I’m so proud of the boys and staff for getting to the final.
“Ultimately we fell short of our target and will have to live with that but as we always do we will pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and be ready to fight again in an England shirt.
“Thank you to all the fans that believed in us and supported us to the very end!”
So close, yet again
It is the second consecutive European Championship that England have fallen just short after defeat to Italy in the final of Euro 2020 three years ago.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham summed up the mood of the nation in a statement which read: “We came to Germany to win the tournament, and we didn’t want it to end this way. We are all hurting, but we should be incredibly proud.
“I would like to thank Gareth, Steve [Holland], all of the players and the support team for their huge commitment and hard work to try to win the trophy for the country. They will be more disappointed than anyone to fall just short.
“This is our fourth major tournament final in four years for the Three Lions and the Lionesses, and our ambition to win major tournaments is stronger than ever. Our wonderful fans have supported us with pride and passion here in Germany and back at home.
“Everyone involved with England wants to make the country proud, and we really appreciate their support.”
