At 11:15 p.m. local time, the suffering that was visible to the world came to an end for the English.
When the President of the European Football Union, Aleksander Čeferin, presented the Coupe Henri-Delaunay to the Italian captain Giorgio Chiellini and who carried the silver cup to his teammates, the home side were finally allowed to leave the place of English mourning after shedding many tears and waiting fairly had to congratulate the new European champion Italy.
55 years after winning the World Cup at London's old Wembley Stadium, England are still waiting for a title.
Tobias Rabe
Responsible editor for Sport Online.
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And the English patient suffered particularly badly on Sunday evening. Everything was set up for the big party after all these years of pain. The final. In London. At Wembley. A home game. It couldn't be better. And it couldn't start any better. Luke Shaw was the lucky one, who shot almost faster than his own shadow when he dropped kick for the lead in the second minute. England dominated the first half, Italy improved in the second and equalized with Leonardo Bonucci (67th minute). No further goal was scored in extra time.
The soccer rules have introduced the penalty shoot-out as a decision aid for this case.
And that's not the discipline the English like.
As early as 1996 at the European Championships, also in London, also in Wembley, the final shootout screwed up the tour when Gareth Southgate missed his attempt against the German selection in the semifinals and England was eliminated.
In major tournaments such as a World or European Championship, the British won only two of nine penalty shoot-outs: in 1996 in the quarter-finals against Spain and in the 2018 World Cup against the Colombians in the second round.
Three substituted players fail
That it didn't work out again with his victory - and thus the second title after 1966 - was also down to Southgate. He's now a trainer and has done a great job over the past five years. But the old disease has not been healed. There will be long debates over which shooters Southgate chose to be in charge: Captain Harry Kane was the first and scored. Defense chief Harry Maguire followed. He also transformed safely. But then Southgate sent three young players who had been substituted on for the decisive attempts.
Marcus Rashford from Manchester United and his future club mate Jadon Sancho, who is returning to England from Borussia Dortmund for the next season, only came onto the field as supposedly safe and well-rested shooters in the 120th minute. Before that, they had hardly played a role in the tournament under Southgate. Now they were under immense pressure. And when it came time to accommodate the fifth attempt in Gianluigi Donnarumma's goal, the only 19-year-old Bukayo Saka had to start the long way from the center circle. His nerves failed him, Italy won.
The Squadra Azzurra did not remain flawless in the nerve game from the point. Andrea Belotti and Jorginho forgave, while Domenico Berardi, Bonucci and Federico Bernardeschi put their ball in the goal. That was enough on a rainy evening in London: The penalty shoot-out went 3-2 to the Italians, who are European champions for the second time in their history since 1968. 53 years of waiting have passed, while the English continue to suffer and now have to make a fresh start. The 2022 World Cup will take place in Qatar in just under a year and a half.