England suffer Euro 2020 agony despite Jordan Pickford penalty shoot-out heroics

England manager Gareth Southgate (right) is dejected with is players following the penalty shoot out during the UEFA Euro 2020 Final at Wembley Stadium, London. Picture date: Sunday July 11, 2021.

Italy ended the Three Lions’ bid for glory with a 3-2 victory on penalties at Wembley in the nation’s capital, which had earlier seen ticketless fans breach security to get into the stadium.

England’s early lead, putting them 1-0 up just two minutes into the first half, was not enough to clinch victory, leaving fans devastated.

A win would have been the men’s football team’s first major tournament win since the 1966 World Cup success, which also took place at Wembley.

The nation was at a standstill for the Three Lions’ biggest match in 55 years and Luke Shaw’s early stunner at a rocking Wembley had fans dreaming that football would be coming home rather than going to Rome.

But Italy wrested control of Sunday’s final and deservedly levelled through Leonardo Bonucci, with the match going to extra-time and on to spot-kicks after it ended 1-1.

England boss Southgate failed with the key effort in the Euro 96 semi-final loss to Germany and Wembley witnessed another gutting shoot-out loss in the country’s first ever European Championship final.

Jordan Pickford denied Andrea Belotti and Jorginho, but Marcus Rashford hit the post before fellow substitutes Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were denied as Italy won the shoot-out 3-2 to make sure of silverware.

It was a crushing end to a summer that will live long in the memory after Southgate’s side went agonisingly close to following in the footsteps of Sir Alf Ramsey’s 1966 World Cup heroes by triumphing on home soil.

Pre-match chaos made way for a perfect start as Shaw hammered home his first England goal after just 117 seconds – the quickest ever goal in a European Championship final.

But England’s intensity eventually tapered off and the Azzurri grew into proceedings, with Roberto Mancini’s men dictating the play in the second half and deservedly drew levelling through Bonucci.

The match went into extra-time and then goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma helped silence the 65,000-plus partisan crowd at Wembley and seal Italy’s second Euro crown.