LIONS DENIED A FINAL MIRACLE

Kings of the comeback rally again but it all ends in pain

- John Cross

THE heartbreak and agony gets worse and more painful each time.

Another defeat in a Euros final will not stop us dreaming, but it will leave us wondering when England's time will come.

Gareth Southgate and his heroic England players deserve praise after their remarkable roller-coaster ride to the final in Berlin.

But that will not offer any consolation to the players who slumped to the pitch at the end as a chance to write their names into Three Lions football folklore passed them by.

Instead, England's men only have the memories of the 1966 World Cup triumph which now seems further away than ever. It is 58 years of hurt and counting.

England have lost in the final for the past two Euros and this, their first major tournament final on foreign soil, almost felt worse than three years ago against Italy at Wembley.