A year ago to the day, English football was it’s lowest ebb when the Three Lions were humiliated by Iceland.
But this summer has been a different story, and for a while it looked like we would have a fourth youth team in a major final.
Aidy Boothroyd’s boys had fought back from Davie Selke’s 35th-minute opener with goals from Demarai Gray and Tammy Abraham.
Suddenly it looked as though the Young Lions might follow in the footsteps of Paul Simpson’s Under 20 World Cup winners.
We should have known better. Felix Platte equalised, and when the penalties were over another semi final defeat to the Germans became a horrible, hideous reality.
Boothroyd had done everything he could. His side had practiced pens after every training session. They had run through it all with a sports psychologist.
But just like so many times before, it all ended in tears.
Jordan Pickford did save one. But Julian Pollersbeck saved two – from Tammy Abraham and then poor Nathan Redmond, who was unconsolable at the end.
Boothroyd can still be proud. He took this team out of the group stage for the first time in three tournaments.
But that won’t feel like much consolation right now. England haven’t won this tournament since 1984, and the long wait goes on.
All the talk in the build-up was about penalties, and England were lucky not to concede an early one for what looked a foul by Calum Chambers on Selke just a few minutes in.
At the other end, Will Hughes created a fine chance with a mazy run and cut-back, only for Gideon Jung to deny Abraham with a block.
Nathaniel Chalobah, back from a groin injury, also went close, sending a free header from a corner over the bar before Pollersbeck denied Gray with a fine save.
At times it was end to end. Selke headed wide. Pollersbeck saved from Abraham. Jordan Pickford saved from Selke.
But the Everton keeper was beaten when Selke escaped some poor marking to head home the opener after Jeremy Toljan raced to the byline and picked him out with pinpoint cutback.
Weaker teams would have wilted. But the lead lasted barely five minutes when James Ward-Prowse swing in his latest deadly dead ball of the finals.
Chambers twice had efforts blocked but the ball rebounded to Gray who thumped it past Pollersbeck for his second goal in as many games.
Then, just after half time, Mason Holgate and Watford-bound Will Hughes combined well to set up a second for Abraham, who couldn’t miss from three yards out.
Boothroyd immediately checked his watch, and England retreated into their shell, seemingly hoping to just hang on.
That meant plenty of nervous moments – and the Germans levelled when substitute Platte, on for the injured Selke, headed home from a Maximilian Arnold corner.
They should have scored again when Maximillian Philipp found himself clean through but dragged his shot wide. Philipp then had a shot saved with England on the ropes.
Redmond, on for Gray, flashed a shot wide. But while Lewis Baker, John Swift and Chambers did miss chances in extra time, it was the Germans who looked most menacing.
And when it went to a shoot-out, you just knew how it would end. Another final for Germany. Another early flight home for England.
England (4-1-2-1-2): Pickford; Holgate (Iorfa 106), Chambers, Mawson, Chilwell; Chalobah (Murphy 66), Hughes (Swift 86); Ward-Prowse, Baker, Gray (Redmond 73); Abraham. Subs: Gunn, Mitchell, Stephens, Targett, Holding, Hause, Grealish, Woodrow
Germany (4-5-1): Pollersbeck: Toljan, Jung (Kehrer 80), Kempf, Gerhardt; Haberer (Kohr 101), Philipp, Meyer, Arnold, Gnabry (Amiri 87); Selke (Platte 63). Subs: Schwabe, Vlachodimos, Anton, Dahoud, Klunter, Weiser, Ozuntall
Referee: Gediminas Mažeika (LTU)
