FORMER Saint and England star Luke Shaw said how the Three Lions “gave everything and it hurts a lot” amid European Championship penalty heartbreak.

The left-back opened the scoring within the first two minutes but, despite leading for over an hour and then goalkeeper Jordan Pickford making two spot-kick stops, Italy took home the trophy.

Shaw was one of the standouts of the whole tournament after he made six starts, registered three assists and was involved heavily throughout at both ends of the pitch.

The Saints academy graduate admits it hurts now but hails the togetherness of England’s most successful tournament side since the World Cup winners of 1966.

Speaking after the game, the 26-year-old said: “It’s gutting. It’s of course not what we wanted. We were very confident.

Daily Echo:

“We felt in a good way, we felt like we were going in the right direction of performances and stuff but it’s just devastating. We gave everything we could and we’ve come up short.

“But I think it’s a step in the right direction of what we want to achieve – a final, the first time in history that’s happened. But from not just me but from the team, that’s not enough. We wanted to win but we fell short. We’re all really gutted and it hurts a lot.

“I think the squad in general, the togetherness is definitely there. I think it was clear you could see that, even after the game. With that huddle, even the lads that missed, we’re all together in this.

“We win as a team, we lose as a team. We all lost (the final). There’s no individuals because of the penalties, it’s us as a team collectively.”

He added: “I think we’re going in the right direction, but (losing the final) was a massive, massive disappointment.”

That disappointment and anguish of coming so close to etching their names into the footballing history of England forever will take time to subside, but just next December this young squad will have another chance.

The 2022 World Cup takes place in Qatar and kicks off on November 21, in Al Khor City.

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After reaching the World Cup semi-final in Russia, Shaw and his Three Lions teammates will be hoping they can go one step further once again.

He said: “First and foremost I hope we made the nation proud. That’s always very important to us. Of course it wasn’t what we wanted and I’m sure it wasn’t what they wanted.

“But I hope this tournament brought smiles and joy to people. Of course it ended on a low, but I think overall the experience we’ve all had as a team, with the fans being here, it will be memories we won’t forget.

“We know as a team we can always keep improving. I think the good thing about the group is the fact that there’s a lot of young players in the squad that are only going to mature and grow up and I think gain experiences from this.

“We’re moving forward in the right direction and we’re learning each time that a big blow like this comes to us. It’s going to hurt for I think a while.

“But we’re back in camp towards the end of next month and a new adventure is the World Cup and we want to qualify for that.

“We know there’s things to improve on as a team, but I’m sure we’ll get there.”