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HomeInternationalHarry Kane rues 'missed opportunity' for England as first trophy remains elusive

Harry Kane rues ‘missed opportunity’ for England as first trophy remains elusive

Harry Kane says defeat to Spain is “really tough to take” as England missed out on Euro 2024 glory. 

Cole Palmer cancelled out Nico Williams’ opener in the second half, but Mikel Oyarzabal struck late to condemn the Three Lions to a second successive loss in a European Championship final.

The Bayern Munich striker is yet to win a major trophy for club or country, despite being one of the best English players of his generation.

Kane, who was subbed off for Ollie Watkins in the second half, admitted after the full-time whistle that it was an “opportunity missed” for England, who will have to wait two years for another shot at glory at the 2026 Fifa Men’s World Cup.

Read – Four key moments that decided Euro 2024 final

“It’s hard to put into words how we’re all feeling right now,” he told ITV. “Tough game. We did well to get back into the game and struggled to build on that. To concede late on is really tough to take.

“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.

“In the first half, we struggled. We couldn’t keep the ball. Second half was better and we got the goal. We got caught with a cross and that’s the final.

“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.

“Gareth (Southgate) will go away and take time to decide (his future). We wanted to win it for him.”

Read – Southgate comments on England future following Euro 2024 defeat

Read More – Five of the best European Championship finals ever

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Ste McGovern
Ste McGovernhttps://bsky.app/profile/stemcgovern.bsky.social
Freelance football writer with bylines for The Football Faithful, Manchester Evening News, BirminghamLive, MARCA, Balls.ie and the Nottingham Post.
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