Laughs, limbs and dejection as England crash again

Many people choose to get an early night on a Sunday to get rested for the week ahead, but it’s not every week the England national team get the chance to end their 58-year wait for glory.

Three Lions fever had gripped the nation - and Yorkshire was no exception.

In Leeds, 4,000 people gathered in Millenium Square after tickets for to watch the hotly anticipated final at the city's biggest fan park were snapped up in under three hours with pubs in Sheffield, Harrogate and York packed to the rafters.

The BBC spoke to some of those willing to risk a Monday morning hangover in the hope their footballing dreams would come true.

Matthew Allison was so confident England would make the final he booked Monday off work two months in advance.

Unsurprisingly, the 24-year-old from Bradford was feeling confident ahead of kick-off.

"We have been awful for this entire tournament, but I think that's a good thing for us," he said.

"I don't know what I'll do if we win. Owt could happen," the IT engineer said.

Matthew Allison (left) booked Monday off work in advance of celebrations

Retail worker Cody Dhnoa was hoping for a double celebration, having turned 27 on Sunday.

Together with her friends Emily Mitchell, Amy Wilcockson and Ellie Tyson, she was desperate to see England end their long wait for a trophy.

"We have been waiting so flipping long," said Amy, 24, who works in finance.

"You can see everyone is altogether, Euros summer is a thing."

"The country needs it, we need to be bought together" added Ellie, a 25-year-old journalist for a community magazine.

The friends all admitted they were feeling nervous about the game.

"I want to say 2-1 England," said Amy.

Friends Emily Mitchell, Amy Wilcockson, Cody Dhnoa and Ellie Tyson were desperate to see football come home

Fans packed into the beer garden at York's Red Lion stand for the national anthem

In Harrogate, staff at The Four Leaf pub were gearing up for a big night.

In between bets on the score (2-1 England) and bets on the number of pints they would sell (at least 1,000) the pub filled up and by 18:00 BST the place was jammed.

The town is one of the nearest to the current home of England boss Gareth Southgate.

Before the game fan Callum Warburton said he was "quietly confident" England would get the win.

He also backed Southgate to stay on as national team boss.

"Keep going. I hope he's still there for the world cup. The stick's not been just. They should win it for him," he added.

Callum Warburton (second right) says Southgate is the right man for England in a pub close to the nation team boss's home

As music boomed from a stage at the Leeds fan zone and a brass band performed renditions of England songs, 21-year-old dentistry student Bashar Alturk took a moment to reflect on what a Three Lions win would mean to him.

"It's a moment in history," he said.

"It would be interesting to see what town's like after."

Bashar, from Manchester, had come to the fanzone with his girlfriend, pharmacy student Lucy Moores, from Preston and their friends.

"I'm absolutely ecstatic," he said.

"Everyone is here enjoying it."

Lucy, 20, was optimistic ahead of kick-off, tipping England to pull off a 2-1 win.

Bashar Alturk (right) was cheering on England with his girlfriend Lucy Moores

Fans also crammed into the bar at Hallam FC in Sheffield, the oldest football ground in the world. Hallam have played there since 1860 - so the bar has seen plenty of highs and lows

With kick-off approaching, the fan zone's overexuberant DJ declared "It's coming home, Leeds" before directing the crowd to put their hands up in the air.

With a well-oiled audience lapping up his every word, a party was already under way before a ball had been kicked.

A tense first-half yielded no goals, but England had their moments and confidence was still high.

Abbas Khan and Sophie Craven were still hopeful England could get the job done.

"I went in thinking Spain would have the upper hand but it looked like it's a very evenly matched game," said Abbas, a 27-year-old software engineer from Bradford.

"They have definitely got it in them, but it's anyone's game at the moment."

Abbas Khan and Sophie Craven were confident of England's chances at half time

Friends Jack Waghorn, Callum Lund and Jacob Kramer were in good spirits at the interval, with business development manager Jack, 24, declaring: "Win or lose we are going out, but if we win we are out out out out out!"

Callum Lund, Jacob Kramer and Jack Waghorn were planning to enjoy their night regardless of the result

But their hopes of a big night out were dealt a sucker punch just 69 seconds into the second half when Spain took a 1-0 lead, leaving the fan park in stunned silence.

For the next 15 minutes, jubilant chants were replaced with frustrated cries as hope slowly drained from the expectant crowd.

Then, pandemonium.

Cole Palmer's leveller began what could have been the biggest party of the tournament to date; Strangers embraced, expensive beer flew through the air and grown men jumped on each other's backs.

That sparked belief once more, with the England looking in the ascendancy and like lady luck was on their side.

England fans dare to dream after seeing the Three Lions draw level

Then, with just four minutes left, English hearts were broken as Spain made it 2-1.

Chances came and went for Southgate's men, but they fell short once again in their second successive European Championship final.

The wait goes on.

England fan Tom Smith cut a lonely figure as he stood alone and watched the Spanish celebrations.

"Devastated" was his response when asked to sum up his emotions, with the prospect of an early alarm now looming over him.

"I thought we had a chance. It's football, it is a margins game."

The marketing worker, from Morley, added: "Spain probably deserved it. I'm glad that we put on a display when we went behind and equalised, but the whole tournament in general, Spain were the best team."

Tom Smith was "devastated" with the final score

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 [Gareth] Southgate" before putting his shirt back on.

Francis was left unimpressed with Gareth Southgate's showing

At the Hallam FC ground in Sheffield one reveller told the BBC the game was "a tough watch", adding, "I think Spain were the best side in possession and had most of the ball."

Another fan chipped in with his thoughts on who should lead the national team.

He said: “Too much negativity on the side of England from day one. When we’ve changed the team we’ve looked better and we should have changed it earlier, at the start of the game, really.

“The FA will ask him [Southgate] to stay on without a doubt because he’s been a successful manager. But that doesn’t mean to say the team are going to play any better, I think we need to change tactically.”

Emma Barlow from Crosspool said she was “gutted” despite expecting the result.

“[It’s been] disappointing but good fun. It’s been a good journey to get to this point.”

She and friends said the team would now “need to get ready for the World Cup”.

Emma Barlow was quick to put Sunday's disappointment behind her - and look to the World Cup

The beer garden at the Red Lion in York emptied quickly after England's defeat

Connor Thompson had also made the short trip from Wakefiled to watch the match at the Leeds zone with his friends.

He compared the feeling of seeing England lose again to that of grief.

"Spain were the better team, they have been absolutely unreal all tournament," said the 25-year-old

"When the equaliser went in, I really thought it were going to be our time.

"It's disappointing to come out of a final and lose again."

Amid a sea of hands on heads and fans darting for earlier-than-hoped taxis home, he pledged to party long into the night despite a 07:00 alarm in the morning.

"Win or lose, we are all England. We keep plodding on.

"It was an unreal atmosphere, everyone here has been absolutely brilliant.

"Roll on the next one."

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