The manager has much to be proud of but the failings of tournaments past came back to halt England against Italy
There was no escaping history in the end. Twenty-five years on, England’s past caught up with them. There was no fairytale ending. No redemption.
This time it was Bukayo Saka who felt the ground fall from under his feet, who buried his face in his shirt, who experienced the agony Gareth Southgate felt when he missed the vital spot-kick against Germany during Euro 96.