England captain Harry Kane said that Sunday's Euro 2024 final loss to Spain was "extremely painful" and admitted that the defeat will "hurt for a long time".

Nico Williams sent Spain ahead in the 47th minute of the final, before Cole Palmer came off the bench to level the scores in the 73rd minute.

Another substitute proved to be the hero in Berlin, though, as Mikel Oyarzabal turned a low Marc Cucurella cross into the back of the net in the 86th minute to break England hearts.

The Three Lions have now lost back-to-back European Championship finals, having been beaten on penalties by Italy in the final of the competition three years ago.

Kane, who was substituted in the 61st minute of the final, admitted that it was difficult to explain how he was feeling after the clash.

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Kane opens up on Euro 2024 final heartbreak

"It's hard to put into words how we're all feeling right now. Tough game. We did well to get back into the game and struggled to build on that. To concede late on is really tough to take," England's record goalscorer told ITV Sport.

"We've been coming from behind all tournament, we've got it in the locker. We didn't take the next step and win it.

"In the first half, we struggled. We couldn't keep the ball. Second half was better and we got the goal. We got caught with a cross and that's the final.

"It's an opportunity missed. These finals aren't easy to get to. You have to take it when it comes and we haven't done it again. It's extremely painful and it'll hurt for a long time."

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Kane says England players 'wanted to win for Southgate'

The future of head coach Gareth Southgate is being called into question, with the 53-year-old potentially deciding to step down from his role this summer.

Kane said that the players "wanted to win" for Southgate, who has been heavily criticised this summer despite the team's progression to the final of the competition.

"Gareth will go away and take time to decide. We wanted to win it for him," added Kane.

Once the dust has settled, England will be looking ahead to the start of their 2024-25 UEFA Nations League campaign, which opens against Republic of Ireland on September 7.

The Three Lions will also be looking to the 2026 World Cup as another chance to land major silverware.

Written by
Matt Law