KEY POINTS

  • England lost Euros 2020 final on penalties
  • Sancho, Rashford, and Saka failed to score from the spot
  • England are yet to win the European Championship

Harry Kane defended England, saying they should be "proud as a group" even though they lost to Italy in the final of Euros 2020 on Sunday.

England, who are yet to win the European Championship, fell short 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw through 120 minutes in front of the home crowd at Wembley Stadium, London. Senior players Kane and Harry Maguire scored, but young guns Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka failed to convert from the spot.

"I couldn't have given more. The boys couldn't have given more. Penalties are the worst feeling in the world when you lose. It wasn't our night but it's been a fantastic tournament and we should hold our heads high. Of course, it's going to hurt now. It's going to hurt for a while, but we're on the right track and we're building and hopefully, we can progress from this next year. We should be extremely proud as a group of what we have achieved," Kane was quoted by Goal, as saying in an interview following England’s loss.

Kane, who finished Euros 2020 with four goals, said the shootout will hurt his teammates for the rest of their careers.

"We're all winners and want to win so it will probably hurt for a while and it will hurt for the rest of our careers, but that's football. We progressed well from Russia and now it is about continuing that," the England captain told the publication.

England coach Gareth Southgate embraces forward Raheem Sterling after the Euro 2020 final
England coach Gareth Southgate embraces forward Raheem Sterling after the Euro 2020 final POOL / Paul ELLIS

The 27-year-old Spurs forward also defended the young trio that missed their shots, saying the setback will only serve as motivation ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

"You've got to hold your heads high. It's been a fantastic tournament. Anyone can miss a penalty. We win together, we lose together. We'll learn and grow from it. Those boys will grow from it and it will give us more motivation for the World Cup next year. We were playing against a very good side. We got off to the perfect start. Maybe dropped a little too deep sometimes. They had a lot of the ball. We looked fairly in control, they didn't create too many chances," Kane further said.

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