English football fans have been on the Euro 2024 final rollercoaster ride through Australia, with the ecstasy and agony of every twist and turn painted on their faces.
Thousands of expats flocked to stadiums in major capitals including Sydney and Melbourne for the 5am kick-off, hoping England could break their 58-year drought in major international tournaments.
In the end they were devastated.
England rued many missed opportunities in their Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain on Sunday night.
Gareth Southgate’s side suffered a painful 2-1 defeat at the Olympiastadion, with goals from Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal. The Real Sociedad striker scored in the 86th minute, securing Spain’s fourth ever title.
The Three Lions had a chance to equalise soon after but were denied by exceptional goalkeeping, last-ditch defending and a missed shot from Declan Rice.
The defeat extends England’s trophy drought, which has now stretched to 58 years since their last major tournament victory at the 1966 World Cup.
England fans erupted when Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer scored in the 75th minute to draw level for his side.
Fans had packed Sydney venues, including the Cheers bar, and were euphoric as they entered the final minutes of the thrilling match.
Hundreds of expats braved the cold early Monday morning to cheer on England, but their hopes were dashed minutes after this photo was taken.
Some expats living in Australia were gracious about the defeat.
“Spain kept up the pressure, we didn’t, so in the end the better team won,” wrote one fan based in Western Australia.
“We deserved to lose. They couldn’t keep the ball for more than two seconds, they were apathetic and the Spanish team attacked us completely,” added another.
Others were left dirty by the latest disappointment.
“Typical England is one that gets a nation excited and then cracks down on them when it matters,” posted one expat living in Victoria.
Another expat took the opportunity to respond to Australians who were mocking England’s title drought.
“The Australians are a total disgrace in the Union, they didn’t make the semi-finals in cricket and they’re ridiculous in football (soccer for you morons) but they have a chance with England. Priceless,” he posted.
“Could be worse… could be a Socceroo lol,” said another.
The euphoria quickly turned to surprise when Mikel Oyarzabal scored to put Spain 2-1 up four minutes from the end of regulation time.
The Three Lions fans could barely watch as their team squandered opportunities to equalise.
The tension was palpable as the minutes ticked away until the final siren ended England’s hopes of securing their first major tournament win since the 1966 World Cup.
There was also plenty of talk of a “moral victory”, harking back to comments made by England batsman Harry Brook during last year’s controversial Ashes series that the hosts could “make it a moral victory” with a win in the fifth and final Test.
“I wonder how Piers Morgan is doing?” asked one Australian mischievously.
With this victory, Spain secured its record fourth European Championship title and its third win in the last five tournaments.
They had previously claimed victory in 1964, 2008 and 2012, and their most recent successes date back to their 2010 World Cup triumph, during the golden era of Xavi Hernández, Xabi Alonso and Andrés Iniesta.
England were attempting to win their first international men’s title since the 1966 World Cup, but narrowly missed out on their first final on foreign soil.
Following their penalty shoot-out defeat to Italy three years ago, they became the only team to lose consecutive Euro finals.
England fans consoled each other as they realised another trophy would not be coming home.
The excitement was palpable as fans realised their European dream was over.
Captain Harry Kane, now 30, is still searching for his first major trophy despite his prolific goalscoring career. This latest disappointment comes after another trophyless season with Bayern Munich.
“I think Spain were the best team in the tournament,” said England manager Gareth Southgate.
‘We didn’t keep the ball well enough.
‘Spain presses well and when you win the ball back you have to hold on to it. In the end, that’s what puts the most demands on your legs.
“I’m devastated for everyone. We’ve fallen a bit short.
‘At that point[when Cole Palmer equalised]we had a bit of a rhythm in the game. We also had a great chance to equalise at the end, but over the 90 minutes, I’m not sure we did enough.
‘I think the players will take a huge credit for getting us to where we are, but when you’re that close, you have to take advantage of the opportunities.
“They represented the jersey with pride and were not defeated until the end. I think Spain had more control of the match tonight.”