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Gareth Southgate’s bid to lead England to major championship glory once again ended in heart-breaking fashion at the final hurdle.
A tournament that started with calls for the manager to leave ended with a second straight European Championship final appearance as Southgate’s side went within one game of joining the heroes of 1966 in footballing immortality.
Once again, though, that last barrier proved an insurmountable one, and just over 36 hours later Southgate called time on his eight-year reign.
Sir Alf Ramsey’s World Cup triumph remains the only trophy won by an England men’s team, but it was the only final in 23 tournament appearances before Southgate took charge.
In the four tournaments since then they reached back-to-back European Championship finals as well as a suffering narrow World Cup semi-final and quarter-finals defeats.
That impressive record is made all the more remarkable given the wreck Southgate inherited.
Failure to make it out of their 2014 World Cup group was compounded by an even more humiliating Euros last-16 exit to Iceland two years later.
Roy Hodgson immediately fell on his sword and successor Sam Allardyce’s reign lasted a mere one match and 67 days, leading to Southgate taking another call from the Football Association.
The England Under-21s boss had rebuffed their calls when Hodgson left, but a change of heart saw him temporarily parachuted in and eventually handed the post on a permanent basis.
Southgate is an erudite, softly-spoken coach and fine man manager unafraid to make big decisions on players like Wayne Rooney and trust young talent as he sought to restore England’s credibility.
Success was never going to come overnight but the summer of 2018 only increased belief, with copycat waistcoats and Atomic Kitten remixes punctuating an unforgettable ride.
England cruised through their group, then ended their penalty hoodoo by beating Colombia on spot-kicks – a first knockout triumph at a major tournament in 12 years.
Southgate’s side eased past Sweden to set up a first semi-final since Euro 96, only for Croatia to edge to a 2-1 comeback win in extra-time.
It was a gut punch at the end of a tournament that had restored confidence and rebuilt a connection with fans who saw England lose another semi-final the following summer.
But there was more progress and the inaugural Nations League would bring a medal, with Southgate’s side taking bronze thanks to another penalty shoot-out triumph against Switzerland.
Their second shoot-out success in as many years came as the result of practice and planning replacing an outdated viewpoint that penalties are merely a lottery.
Southgate knew better than most how crucial spot-kick preparations are after seeing his penalty saved in the Euro 96 semi-final loss to Germany, which cast a shadow over an impressive playing career.
The defender came through at Crystal Palace, won a League Cup with Aston Villa and captained Middlesbrough to the League Cup – their first trophy – as well as the UEFA Cup final.
Southgate’s intelligence and leadership qualities saw him appointed Boro manager aged just 35 – a steep learning curve that ended in the sack after just over three years.
He went on to work as the Football Association’s head of elite development between February 2011 and July 2012, before returning to management as England Under-21s boss in August 2013.
Southgate won the Toulon Tournament in 2016 before stepping up to the senior team, who he led to within penalties of winning a senior trophy five years later.
‘Sweet Caroline’ echoed through stadiums and streets as all but one of England’s matches at the Covid-delayed, pan-continental European Championship were played at Wembley.
Hand-in-hand with on-field success came Southgate’s ability to break down the barriers which had previously existed within the England camp between players from rival domestic clubs. With a manager speaking openly about respect and important societal issues, a club atmosphere was developed at international level.
Southgate’s side bundled through the Euro 2020 group stage, knocked out old rivals Germany and cruised past Ukraine before edging past Denmark as their semi-final went to extra time.
England dared to dream as Luke Shaw slammed home minutes into their first continental final, only for Italy to equalise, take the match to extra time and triumph on penalties.
Emotions were still raw 18 months later in Qatar, where the team rallied in a promising World Cup display that came to a premature end against France.
This time a single penalty rather than a shoot-out cost England as captain Harry Kane found stands rather than the net with his second penalty in a 2-1 quarter-final exit.
Southgate dealt with conflicting emotions after Qatar, where his young side’s promising performances came after a challenging build-up that led to fan fury with relegation from the Nations League top tier.
But, in the end, his family persuaded him to “give this one more go and try to get this trophy” – a focus that shaped everything he did building up to this summer.
England started qualification with an impressive win at holders Italy and progressed without defeat – an unbeaten run that continued in Germany.
Things started off shakily, with an opening win against Serbia followed by boos greeting the end of the draws against Denmark and Slovenia despite England topping Group C.
Southgate even had beer cups thrown at him after the latter stalemate but he blocked out the noise, dug deep and, in the end, helped England lift a cup of their own.
Jude Bellingham’s jaw-dropping overhead kick saved the day and sparked an extra-time win against Slovakia in the last 16, before England went on to beat Switzerland on spot-kicks last weekend.
That resilience was evident again on Wednesday as super sub Ollie Watkins was the semi-final hero in Dortmund, scoring a 90th-minute winner to spark wild celebrations.
Southgate’s 102nd – and last – match in charge at his fourth tournament at the helm ended in disappointment, with defeat to Spain at the Olympiastadion.
And so the 58 years of hurt continued.
