England 1 Spain 2: Three Lions face Euro final misery again as Southgate and his heroes collapse at the last hurdle
IT now seems as though he really is cursed. Along with the rest of us.
Tragically, unbelievably, Harry Kane’s agonising search for a trophy still continues and you know have to wonder whether he will ever actually manage it. Certainly for England, in any case.
It was heartbreak for England again in the finalCredit: Reuters
Gareth Southgate now has a decision to make on his futureCredit: Getty
Nico Williams finished coolly to put Spain 1-0 upCredit: Reuters
Williams scored just a minute into the second-halfCredit: Getty
Cole Palmer had an instant impact off the bench as he equalised with a brilliant strikeCredit: Getty
And he did his trademark celebrationCredit: Reuters
Only for Mikel Oyarzabal to score the winnerCredit: Getty
Mikel Oyarzabal was the hero!Credit: Getty.
Kane has lost three major club finals and two European Championship finals.
Last night, the Three Lions skipper was so ineffectual that he was substituted by Ollie Watkins shortly after the hour.
He struggled to make an impression when England needed him, as he has throughout the tournament.
He only had one shot in the first half, which was taken by Rodri, who later hurt himself and was substituted at halftime.
When Cole Palmer scored that wonderful equalizer, Kane was off on his feet from the bench, only for the national team to get another kick in the bum at the end.
Kane was substituted in both England’s victories over Switzerland and Holland, but on this occasion, he was only able to see a gut-wrenching twist just as it appeared like Gareth Southgate’s squad had dug themselves out of difficulty.
The Bayern Munich striker lost the World Cup 2018 semi-final to Croatia, was heartbroken against Italy in the Euro2020 final, and then missed out on a position in the World Cup 2022 quarter-final against France.
Despite England’s poor performance in Germany, he believed this was his time.
Despite not winning anything with Bayern Munich last season, Kane will undoubtedly end his drought next season.
Kane will understand that he will have more opportunities with England. But not many more.
The World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico seems a long way off, and it will almost certainly be under a new manager. Will England be better than it is today? Probably not.
Kane, who scored 66 goals in his previous 97 England games, appeared to be at his peak performance once more.
Throughout the event, Kane did not appear to be fully fit. Despite scoring 44 goals for Bayern, he suffered a back injury before the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid and hasn’t been the same since.
Throughout his time at the Euros, Kane swore he was fit, but he was never going to admit otherwise.
Maybe at the start of next season, Kane will concede that, in retrospect, he wasn’t at his best.
But it’s an amazing shame. Kane, more than anyone else in football, deserves to win something, especially for his nation.
As an eight-year-old, he would watch games at the Sirloin bar in Chingford with his father Pat, mother Kim, and brother Charlie.
Sometimes the boys would go with their faces painted. Harry would cry after England’s defeat.
And in Berlin, every Englishman was crying – or felt like it.
Kane was named PFA Young Player of the Year in 2014-15 before earning the Premier League Golden Boot in 2016, 2017, and 2021. He did the same in Germany with Bayern.
Kane stated inside the Olympiastadion on Saturday night that he would trade them all for individual success, but that was not to be.
Even after moving to Bayern, Kane almost comically missed out on a trophy in his debut game: the German Super Cup. And then he won nothing as his club was humiliated in the Bundesliga by surprise winners Bayer Leverkusen.
In those early days as a professional, fighting to make his mark with loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich, and Leicester, the prospect of becoming England’s top scorer seemed unfathomable.
Kane’s senior England career began nine years ago, in a 4-0 victory over Lithuania, when he was 21 and seven months old – younger than Jude Bellingham is now – but he has emerged as the team’s figurehead under Southgate. However, how long this will last is unknown.
Kane has stated that he now has “an aura” after joining Bayern, which was not the case when he failed to impress during loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich, and Leicester before establishing himself at Tottenham.
However, with Spurs, the trophies he desired did not materialize.
Spurs finished third in a two-horse race in 2016, when Leicester stunned the world. Tottenham became Chelsea’s bridesmaids a year later.
Kane also lost the EFL Cup finals with Tottenham in 2015 and 2021. Also in 2019, he failed to make an impact in the Champions League final as Spurs fell to Liverpool. Kane, who had missed six weeks of the season due to an ankle injury, was clearly not fit.
Kane’s injury problems have been unusual since he began consulting with Canadian-based Spanish sports medicine specialist Dr Alejandro Elorriaga Claraco – until the April injury at Bayern Munich.
And now we’re left wondering how much better England would have been with a fit and firing Kane at his peak.
Harry Kane struggled and was subbed off after 60 minutes for semi-final hero Ollie WatkinsCredit: PA
Chances were at a premium in a cagey first-halfCredit: AP