Once again, England are just spectators when the celebrations are on. After the 2-1 defeat against Spain, captain and title loser Harry Kane suffers

This European Championship final between Spain and England (2:1) tells so many stories. That of the newly crowned European champion Lamine Yamal, who had turned 17 the day before and was named the best young player of the tournament. That of Rodri, the tournament’s best player, who was substituted at the break due to injury. That of substitute equalizer scorer Cole Palmer. And then there’s Harry Kane: the England captain who, at the age of 30, is still waiting for his first team title

In this European Championship final, he only intervened to a limited extent. He had one blocked shot on goal when he was substituted for Ollie Watkins in the 61st minute. Not enough to prevent the Spaniards from taking the European Championship throne in the end.

“It was a tough game, it’s hard to put into words. We tried to get back into the game. That’s very painful. We had the momentum, but we couldn’t keep it. That’s how the final is. It’s not easy to get into these finals. You have to take it when it comes like that and we didn’t do it again. It’s going to hurt for a while,” Kane said on the TV mic after the game.

The Bayern striker, who has already had a title-less season at the club, was visibly disappointed. Even the title of top scorer, which he shares with five other players at this European Championship, is unlikely to console him.

Euro 2024: England coach Southgate and the enduring final curse

Gareth Southgate’s CV tells a similarly dramatic story. As a player, he missed a penalty against Germany in the 1996 European Championship semi-final, meaning England missed out on the final. As a coach, he led his country to the 2021 European Championship final against Italy – on home soil. England failed in the penalty shoot-out.

Three years later, England were back in the final – and had to swallow a bitter 2-1 defeat shortly before the end of normal time. “I’m very proud of my players, they gave everything in the tournament. We weren’t good enough to win the game. Spain were the best team. Small mistakes, a good finish, those are the differences in games like this,” said the 53-year-old. Whether it will continue for him: open