LUKE LITTLER slammed Gareth Southgate after England suffered Euro 2024 final heartbreak.
Mikel Oyarzabal was the hero for Spain as he netted an 86th-minute winner to seal a 2-1 win.
Cole Palmer had equalised for England 13 minutes before the decisive strike to cancel out Nico William’s opener, and Littler felt the Three Lions sat back after scoring.
He fumed with Southgate over his defensive tactics, arguing he did not learn from his previous mistakes.
Littler said: “Well done Gareth, score a goal and we sit back on the penalty spot. Once again we get punished for it.”
The darts sensation, 17, also posted a clown face emoji to describe Southgate’s management.
Southgate now faces an uncertain future with England likely to replace him as manager.
He has guided England to two major finals and made the last four in three of the last four major tournaments.
But his troops failed to end the nation’s 58-year-long wait for silverware, with Southgate hinting he could step down after the tournament before a ball had even been kicked.
And he seemingly doubled down on that notion in his post-match interview, saying: “I think England are in a really good position in terms of the experiences they’ve got now.
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IT now seems as though he really is cursed. Along with the rest of us, writes Charlie Wyett.
Tragically, unbelievably, Harry Kane’s agonising search for a trophy still continues and you know have to wonder whether he will ever actually manage it.
Certainly for England, in any case.
Kane has now suffered defeat in three major club finals and two finals of the European Championships.
Last night, the Three Lions captain was so ineffective that he was replaced by Ollie Watkins just after the hour.
Like much of this tournament, he really struggled to make the impact when England needed him, not that he had much service.
He had one shot in the first half and that was Rodri, who subsequently injured himself and went off at the break.
When Cole Palmer struck that brilliant equaliser, Kane was off on his feet from the bench, only for the national team to get another kick in the bo**ocks at the end.
Kane was substituted in both the games against Switzerland and Holland which England went on to win but on this occasion, he could only witness a gut-wrenching twist just when it looked as though Gareth Southgate’s team had dug their way out of trouble.
The Bayern Munich striker suffered the World Cup 2018 semi-final loss against Croatia, endured heartbreak against Italy in the Euro2020 final and then missed from the spot in the World Cup 2022 quarter-final against France.
He really thought that this was his time, even though England did not play well in Germany.
Kane will know that he will have more opportunities with England. But not many more.
The World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico seems a long way away and it will surely be under a new manager. Will England be better than they are now? Probably not.
And we are all left to wonder how much better England would have been with a fit and firing Kane at his very best.
Read the full verdict on the curse of Harry Kane…
Or check out all of Charlie Wyett’s Euro 2024 stories…
“The age of the squad.
“Most of this squad are going to be around not only for the World Cup but the next Euros as well.
“There’s a lot to look forward to but this moment is not any consolation.”
Littler, who is a massive Manchester United fan, has form for aiming digs at those in the world of football.
When Liverpool lost 3-0 to Atalanta in the Europa League he couldn’t resist a jibe.
He also hit out at Douglas Luiz after Man Utd secured a dramatic late win over Aston Villa.
