It’s not coming home this time.
Hopes were dashed that England would finally win its first major world tournament in almost 50 years after Spain delivered England a searing 2-1 defeat in the Euro2024 final.
After the game ended star players were consoled by their families. But King Charles summed up the feelings of the nation and told Gareth Southgate’s side: ‘Hold your heads up high’
The loss devastated British spectators with fans left in disbelief after they had packed into bars and pubs in the hope of seeing the Three Lions finally claim their first victory since the World Cup of 1966.
It was an 86th minute goal that sent England to second straight Euro final defeat. After lagging 1-0, England equalized midway through the second half through a brilliantly placed left-footed effort from Cole Palmer from outside the box to restore parity at the Olympia Stadion in the German capital.
But with just under five minutes remaining, Spain took a late lead when Mikel Oyarzabal tapped home a pass from Marc Cucurella to cap off a victory and a terrific tournament for La Roja–its fourth Euro title – having previously won in 1964, 2008 and 2012
In football-mad Romania, thousands turned out on the hottest day of the year in Bucharest to watch the final.
Most of the people in bars around the city and the Fanzone wanted the favorites Spain to win, while England fans were thin on the ground. Some had placed hefty bets on a Spain win, Universul.net learned.
It was already dark when the match kicked off at 10pm local with temperatures hovering in the 30s. Some spectators and bar staff were wearing white, an attempt to stay cool rather than an allegiance to England.
Romanians’ support for Spain is understandable. Millions moved there to work after communism collapsed in 1989 and there was a second wave after the country joined the EU in 2007. Romanians enjoy the creative and agile football Spain is known for and have an affinity to the country with which it shares Latin roots.
So many celebrated in Romania after Southgate’s men were unable to make history as they lost on Sunday evening in an echo of England’s defeat in the Euro 2020 final.
Prince William and Prince George looked crestfallen with the Prince of Wales seen consoling England’s skipper, Harry Kane. But King Charles urged the squad to ‘hold your heads high’ and hailed them the ‘pride of a nation’.
Football’s coming home, or simply it’s coming home, refers to the chorus of iconic England song Three Lions by rock band The Lightning Seeds and comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner in 1996.
The legendary chorus originally referred to the fact that when the song was released, England was hosting its first major football tournament for thirty years.
The phrase has evolved to refer to football’s most famous trophy, The World Cup, returning to England, where football was invented and is a very popular internet meme.
