England manager Gareth Southgate stood motionless and alone with his thoughts as a familiar scene unfolded in front of him and his players at Berlin’s historic Olympiastadion.
The credits were rolling on another tale of gallant England defeat, with Spain celebrating a fully deserved 2-1 win as Euro 2024 got the winners it deserved in the shape of Luis de la Fuente’s outstanding team.
For Southgate, who then moved to console his devastated players, it was a fourth successive major tournament when England went close but not close enough – the rinse-and-repeat theme of his eight years as manager.
It may seem harsh to describe Southgate and England as a nearly manager and a nearly team, but the consistent inability to get over the line when opportunities such as this present themselves, as they have in each of those tournaments, leave them open to those charges.
‘Southgate left to face brutal reality – Spain were too good’
Standing in close attendance to Southgate was crestfallen England captain Harry Kane at the end of a contrary Euro 2024 campaign. Though he shared the Golden Boot, Kane performed in such laboured fashion it was difficult to avoid the conclusion that time was catching up with the team’s all-time record goalscorer.
Kane – a fitness doubt coming into the tournament – scored three goals at Euro 2024 but was so far off the standards he has set himself in a stellar career that it was no surprise when he was replaced by Ollie Watkins after 61 minutes. England’s fans, for their part, had loudly demanded the Aston Villa striker’s introduction from early in the second half.
While Southgate has had those four attempts at ending a sequence without success for the men’s team that will now stand at 60 years by the time the 2026 World Cup comes around, another chance for Kane to win the first trophy of his career has passed painfully by.
They will both have much to ponder as England fly home at the end of a tournament in which they have rarely hit the heights. Having flown by the seat of their pants as they came within 86 seconds of defeat against Slovakia in the last 16, they came from behind to beat Switzerland on penalties in the last eight, then dragged back another deficit to overcome the Netherlands to reach this final.
