England's Euro 2012 dreams were shattered on Sunday night as they were knocked out of the quarter-finals by Italy in a penalty shootout.
With the teams goalless after a thrilling 90 minutes, neither side could make the breakthrough in extra time.
That left penalites to seperate the two teams and England yet again came out on the wrong side of that dreaded lottery.
Here, Sports Mole casts its eye over the events in Kiev.
Sports Mole's analysis:
England statistics:
Shots 9
On target 1
Possession 32%
Corners 3
Fouls 15
Italy Statistics:
Shots 36
On target 8
Possession 68%
Corners 7
Fouls 11
Was the result fair?
Yes. Although it was a cruel way for England to lose, they did well to get that far as Italy pressed hard throughout the match. Roy Hodgson's men did create chances, but the Azzurri looked far more composed in all areas of the pitch.
England's performance
After a good first-half display, the Three Lions fell away in the second as the Italians took hold. By the time penalties came around they looked tired and had hardly enough time on the ball to pose a threat. That said, England defended stoically with some superb performances at the back.
Italy's performance
The Azzurri were worthy winners thanks to their invention in midfield and attack. They kept control of the ball exceptionally well and should have killed the game off in normal time but for some wayward finishing.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Andrea Pirlo: The midfield maestro was a joy to behold in the centre of the park as he sprayed the ball all over the pitch for his teammates. Looking graceful and unflustered while in control, it makes you wonder why AC Milan got rid of him.
Referee performance
Without imposing himself too much on the match, Pedro Proenca was more than happy to blow up for a number of small incidents. He rightly waved away a couple of penalty appeals from both sides but missed a possible shirt-pull on Jonh Terry in the second half of normal time.
Biggest gaffe of the game
Italy could have avoided all of the subsequent drama if Daniele De Rossi had found the net at the start of the second half with a wonderful opportunity. The ball fell to the midfielder six yards out, but he lashed at the ball wide when it was easier to score.
What next?
England: It's been a strange success for Hodgson's squad this summer thanks to the much-talked-about lack of expectations surrounding the side. The future looks bright thanks to the flash of youth throughout the team, while it could be the last we see of players like John Terry and Steven Gerrard.
Italy: With Germany to come on Thursday, the Azzurri need to start forging a gameplan to combat one of the favourites for the tournament. That said, they will take plenty of positives from their performance this evening.
Jack Prescott
