England fans are left heartbroken as their half-century wait for a major title goes on. Video / NZ Herald
Oh dear. England's thrilling ride in Euro 2020 appears to have turned into a vitriolic car crash over their penalty shootout defeat to Italy in the final.
The goodwill generated by and towards England manager Gareth Southgate is under serious threat with arguments raging over his selection of penalty takers in the sudden death shootout at Wembley Stadium.
Football icons Roy Keane and Jose Mourinho have led criticism of England's manager and senior players, and many fans have joined in.
And the racial abuse of players who missed penalties for England - Buyako Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho - has led to calls for social media platforms to take action.
England's favourite football son Jack Grealish has even taken to Twitter to deny suggestions, led by the controversial Irish legend Keane, that he and other older players should have prevented teenager Buyako Saka from being put on the spot.
England's Jadon Sancho reacts after missing a chance to score during the penalty shoot out of the Euro 2020 final. Photo / AP
Grealish said he wanted to take part in the penalty shootout but was overlooked by Southgate.
"I said I wanted to take one!!!!," wrote Grealish. "The gaffer has made so many right decisions through this tournament and he did tonight! But I won't have people say that I didn't want to take a peno when I said I will…"
I said I wanted to take one!!!! The gaffer has made so many right decisions through this tournament and he did tonight! But I won’t have people say that I didn’t want to take a peno when I said I will… https://t.co/3mBpKyMoUV
The Telegraph claimed that some of the England players were surprised that Arsenal's Saka was asked to take the fifth penalty, which he missed to hand Italy victory. It was the first penalty attempt he had ever made in his senior career.
The England camp has been keeping a log of penalty success rates at training and Southgate is adamant he decided who would take the kicks at Wembley.
Reacting to the horrific abuse, Southgate said: "(The players) should be - and I think they are - incredibly proud of what they've done. For some of them to be abused is unforgiveable really. I know a lot has come from abroad. People who track those things have been able to explain that. But not all of it.
"And it's just not what we stand for. We have been a beacon of light in bringing people together and people being able to relate to the national team and the national team stands for everybody. So, that togetherness has to continue."
Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma saved Saka's final penalty as England's attempt to win their first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup ended in despair. Rashford and Sancho, in their early 20s, had played little part in the tournament and were brought on very late, supposedly as penalty experts.
Keane told ITV: "If you're Sterling or Grealish, you cannot sit there and have a young kid go up for a penalty ahead of you, you can't.
"You cannot let a shy 19-year-old go up in front of you. They have a lot more experience, Sterling has won trophies, they had to get in front of the young kid and stand up."
Legendary club manager Mourinho, the Roma boss, said: "The decision of the penalty takers, I think it is hard to leave Saka as the last one. I think it is hard for a kid to have everything on his shoulders at that moment. I just feel very sorry for him.
"In this situation where was Sterling, where was Stones, where was Shaw?
"I feel that Gareth is such an honest guy. Such a protective coach of his players. I don't think he would ever say players were not ready."
In a long post on Twitter, Rashford said: I've always backed myself for a penalty but something didn't feel quite right. During the long run up I was saving myself a bit of time and unfortunately, the result was not what I wanted."
"It's been playing in my head over and over since I struck the ball and there's not a word to describe quite how it feels. Final. 55 years. 1 Penalty. History. All I can say is sorry."
Meanwhile, the Evening Standard reported that Arsenal were supporting Saka "emotionally and practically" after he received "disgusting abuse".
"Last night we witnessed the leadership and character we've always known and loved in Bukayo," Arsenal stated.
"However, this feeling of pride quickly turned to sorrow at the racist comments our young player was subjected to on his social media platforms after the final whistle.
"Once again, we are sad to have to say we condemn the racism of a number black players. This cannot continue and the social media platforms and authorities must act to ensure this disgusting abuse to which our players are subjected on a daily basis stops now."
