England fans still dreaming despite Euros 2024 final loss

England fans are feeling worse for wear this morning as the Three Lions come home without football after their 2-1 defeat in the Euro 2024 final against Spain.

Earlier hopes of seeing an end to the 58 “years of hurt” in which the England men’s side has failed to win a trophy were replaced by devastation and anger.

Some fans were lucky enough to watch the match at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, while back home many watched at pubs, official fan zones or street parties.

In Derby, thousands of music fans stayed to watch the game at Markeaton Park where they had watched The Lightning Seeds perform their Three Lions song earlier in the day.

Mark Reynolds, from Chesterfield, said: “There was hope when he [Cole Palmer] scored that goal but Spain have been the best side all tournament really, in my opinion.”

There were similar feelings in Watnall, Nottinghamshire, where a group of about 30 people of all ages – a mix of neighbours and friends – gathered to watch the match at a street party.

Among them was Daniel Bailey, who said he had predicted the final score before the match.

“England tactically and technically are not good enough to come up against the Spain team,” he said.

In Leeds, 4,000 people gathered in Millenium Square after tickets to watch the hotly anticipated final at the city’s biggest fan park were snapped up in less than three hours.

Personal trainer Francis Hall was so ecstatic when England equalised he took his shirt off.

Still topless after the full-time whistle, the 25-year-old from Wakefield told the BBC “everyone knows we won’t win anything with [manager Gareth] Southgate” before putting his shirt back on.

Emma Barlow from Crosspool said it had been “disappointing but good fun” and the team would now “need to get ready for the World Cup”.

In the West Midlands, fans described feeling a mix of disappointment and pride.

Johnny Muir, who was watching the game at Droitwich Rugby Club, said he was “gutted”, but added: “I’m immensely proud of the England team. They have put us back on the map in international football. I’m proud to be British.”

One of the younger fans, nine-year-old Elsie, said: “I’m really devastated about the football. I think we could have done better.”

She was wearing her father’s gold England necklace, which he had when he was a child and said she would have kissed it if England had won.

Her ambitions include playing for England’s European Championship-winning women’s team and after the men’s defeat she said: “This is the most angry that I’ve ever been in my whole entire life.

“England, next match, you’d better win.”

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was praised for several heroic saves during last night’s match, and friends of his spoke to BBC Newsbeat at a fan zone in Sunderland, close to his hometown of Washington, Tyne and Wear.

The local rivalry between Newcastle and Sunderland fans can be tense, and Geordie Chris admitted he has a “love-hate relationship” with Pickford.

“I’m not his biggest fan. But he loves St. James’s Park, as he said in his recent interview,” said Chris.

“But he is local and I really respect how difficult it is to get that level.”

Friend Kieran added that, as far as the group was concerned, getting behind your local hero on England’s big night was the most important thing.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re black or white, or red or white. He’s from the north east and he’s doing well,” he said.

It does not feel all that long ago since fans had to deal with similar disappointment.

This was the second European Championship final in a row that Southgate’s side have lost, after falling to Italy on penalties in 2021, with the 1966 World Cup their only major tournament final before that.

Some fans online criticised Southgate’s leadership.

“I need someone in charge of this team with new ideas and a positive attacking view on football. It’s over,” wrote one.

Another said: “You’re too defensive with the most attacking English side in years. You made the same subs who dug us out from losing to Slovakia, why not start those players?”

Others pointed out that Spain were the best team of the competition, “refreshing to watch”, and “fully deserved” their win.

Asked about his future, Southgate told the BBC: “Now is not the time for me to speak about that. I need to talk to the right people and give myself a bit of time.”

As he congratulated Spain, the new Prime Minister Keir Starmer tweeted that England had made the country proud.

He was not, as some might have hoped, announcing an extra bank holiday to celebrate an England success.

Fans who feel they had their hopes too high this time can at least be thankful they did not get a tattoo of the trophy ahead of the result.

The same cannot be said for 29-year-old Dan Thomas from Swindon, who had the words “England Euro 2024 Winners” and a picture of the trophy tattooed on his leg.

The tattooist responsible triple-checked before starting work and said Mr Thomas would have to keep it for at least a year “as a punishment” for being overzealous.

After Sunday night’s result, Mr Thomas said he was confident the Three Lions would win the Euros in 2028 – when the UK and Ireland are hosts – and he may get an alteration to the tattoo then.

He said he “still loves” the tattoo and has urged other England fans to get their own to show their support ahead of the next tournament.

The data consultant said: “We came close, I don’t regret the tattoo.

“If anything, I don’t think it’d be hard to change the four into an eight in four years time. I won’t be covering it up. Absolutely no regrets and I still love it.”

Mr Thomas had predicted England would win 2-1, but it turned out to be the other way around.

He was so convinced about the result, he even decided to live stream the tattoo process on TikTok to 42,000 viewers.