It was tense. It was painful. And for one brief moment – Luke Shaw’s brilliant goal in the opening minutes – it looked as if England might finally bring it home. But on Sunday, Italy finally triumphed over England during penalties to become the new European champion. For Italy, it was a moment of vindication after the embarrassment of failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. For England, it was a dramatic – and all too familiar – end to the mounting hopes that it would finally win its first title since the 1966 World Cup.
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The defeat capped off a truly chaotic day of anticipation, with hundreds gathering in central London and at Wembley Stadium to party, drink and soak in the excitement. A small number of fans without tickets attempted to break in and pushed past the turnstiles, with riot police deployed to hold them back. Photographer Jake Lewis was outside Wembley to capture the chaos and anticipation of England at the Euro 2020 final.
