After missing out on winning the Euro 2020, England captain Harry Kane admitted his side’s penalty shootout defeat against Italy on Sunday was “the worst feeling in the world”. Kane, along with Harry Maguire, was one of only two England players who managed to get past the hero of the night Gianluigi Donnarumma from the spot as Italy won the shootout 3-2 after a 1-1 draw following extra time at Wembley.

Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka missed their penalties in front of the home crowd, leaving The Three Lions to continue the wait for their first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup.

“Penalties is the worst feeling in the world when you lose. Anyone can miss a penalty. Penalties is penalties. We went through a process. The boys did everything they could, it just wasn’t our night.” Kane was quoted as saying after the game by ITV.

When the night started, England’s belief was strengthened as Luke Shaw gave the team a dream start when he scored in the second minute. But the fastest goal in Euro final history could not end the country’s wait for a trophy as they gradually allowed Italy back into the match.

Leonardo Bonucci pierced the hearts of the Wembley crowd when he equalised in the second half, setting the stage for England’s latest penalty horror after decades of past shoot-out defeats.

Tottenham’s star striker Kane conceded England had played into Italy’s hands by adopting a cautious approach in a failed bid to preserve their lead.

“We were playing against a very good side. We got off to the perfect start. Maybe dropped a little too deep sometimes. They had a lot of the ball. We looked fairly in control, they didn’t create too many chances. They got their breakthrough from the set-piece and after that was 50-50,” Kane said.

“We win together, we lose together. We’ll learn and grow from it. Those boys will grow from it and it will give us more motivation for the World Cup next year. You’ve got to hold your heads high. It’s been a fantastic tournament,” he said.