Like you, Sportsmail’s Chris Sutton and Martin Keown experienced every emotion as England led and Italy equalised amid 120 minutes of drama before a gutting penalty shootout.
Here, our columnists provide their expert views on the critical tactical decisions, the crucial moments and the heartache of how it all ended...
SUTTON: For all their experience, 36-year-old Giorgio Chiellini and 34-year-old Leonardo Bonucci didn’t know what to do with Harry Kane. England’s striker was causing them so many problems. These ageing Italian centre backs don’t want to see an opposition striker dropping deep into pockets of space.
England losing the final on penalties was a horrible way for Gareth Southgate's men to lose
Italy, who lifted the European Championship trophy at Wembley, edged the game on the night
That was how England opened the scoring, with Kane acting as the link between Luke Shaw on the left-hand side of the pitch and Kieran Trippier on the right-hand side. It was a magnificent move, and one which Gareth Southgate must have been so proud to see unfold. How he stayed so cool and composed instead of celebrating wildly, I don’t know! I was at Wembley Stadium last night. That goal and the noise of the crowd gave me goosebumps.
KEOWN: England’s goal originated from some opening-minute sloppiness. Harry Maguire tried to play a pass back to Jordan Pickford but instead gave away a cheap corner. Chalk it up to nerves, perhaps.
On the plus side, it got the Italians out of their set-up. We expected them to be difficult to carve open. Heading into this final, Italy had not been in a losing position at Euro 2020 and they were unbeaten in their last 33 matches under Roberto Mancini. But 27 seconds after taking their corner England were 1-0 up.
Shaw started the move. He played a pass into Kane, who had dropped into one of his deep positions and then progressed play forward before finding Trippier. Kyle Walker made a decoy run down the right. That bought Trippier time. With an outstanding cross, he found Shaw, who made his finish look more straightforward than it was.
Luke Shaw (right) made his finish look much more simple than it was for England's opener
SUTTON: The rumoured line-up emerged around 3pm yesterday. Trippier in, Bukayo Saka out, meaning a return to a back three with wing backs for England. Surprising? Sure. Did it make me ever-so-slightly nervous? You bet.
But we had to back Southgate, especially given all of the excellent decisions he’d made en route to this final.
The decision to match up to Germany’s 3-4-3 formation. The decision to use Trippier at left back against Croatia. The decision to start Saka against the Czech Republic. The decision to persist with Kane and allow him to continue to drop deep. Everything turned to gold. And this unexpected
