Kane speaks of pain after Euro 2024 final defeat

England captain Harry Kane expressed his deep disappointment after the Three Lions suffered a 2-1 defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday. This marks England’s second consecutive loss in the tournament’s final, following their penalty shootout defeat to Italy in Euro 2020.

Speaking to ITV, Kane, who was substituted after 60 minutes, reflected on the latest heartbreak. “It’s hard to put into words how we’re all feeling right now… We did well to get back into the game and struggled to build on that,” he said.

Spain, despite losing Rodri to injury at half-time, took the lead early in the second half. Lamine Yamal set up Nico Williams, who slid the ball under England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. England found hope when substitute Cole Palmer equalized three minutes after coming on. However, Mikel Oyarzabal sealed Spain’s victory with a goal four minutes before the final whistle.

“We’ve been coming from behind all tournament, we’ve got it in the locker. We didn’t take the next step and win it,” Kane commented. “The second half was better and we got the goal. We got caught with a cross and that’s the final.”

Kane, who finished the tournament with three goals despite struggling with a back injury, lamented the missed opportunity. “It’s an opportunity missed. These finals aren’t easy to get to. You have to take it when it comes and we haven’t done it again. It’s extremely painful and it’ll hurt for a long time.”

Regarding the future of England manager Gareth Southgate, Kane stated, “He’ll go away and take time to decide. We wanted to win it for him.”

(Source: AFP)