Harry Kane has called England’s 2-1 defeat to Spain at Uefa Euro 2024 “as painful as it gets” and described the Three Lions’ campaign as a “tough ride”.
England scored an equalizer through Cole Palmer’s goal in the 70th minute but were beaten by their rivals who won with goals from Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal.
“Losing a final is as difficult as it gets,” Kane, who was sent off by Ollie Watkins as England trailed 1-0 in the 61st minute, told BBC Sport.
“We did very well to get back into the game but we couldn’t use the ball to keep the ball, we were punished for it.
“It’s sad as it happened. We didn’t maintain the same intensity and pressure to keep the ball. It’s been a tough journey and we’ve done really well to get here.
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England vs Spain: Kane comes on
Kane finished as the Euro’s top scorer with three goals but it wasn’t the most important thing for his country and he was thought to be injured.
The 30-year-old was also substituted against Spain, the introduction of Ollie Watkins ahead of a promising season for England in which Palmer scored.
There could be few complaints, however, with a victory for a Spanish side that had more than 65 percent of the ball and expected goals equal to England’s.
Euro 2024 final: England ‘exhausted’
“There’s a lot of tired legs and a tired mind,” admitted Kane, who lost his second Euro final following England’s penalty shoot-out loss to Italy in the 2020 edition.
“We were caught behind [for the winner]. It’s only a matter of time and we had one at the end where they took one off the line [from Declan Rice]. We wanted to do it for ourselves, the fans and everyone who believes in us.”
Manager Gareth Southgate faced a lot of criticism after England’s poor start to the tournament, and Kane said it will be up to the 53-year-old to take time to think about whether he will continue.
Spain were European champions for four times, while England’s only major title remains the 1966 FIFA World Cup.
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