As the final whistle reverberated around the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, England’s U17s dropped to their knees, their European hopes over for another season. Heartbreak. Despair. Fatigue. All juxtaposed with the sight of the Spanish, dancing in a circle and saluting their fans in jubilation.
But as the hurt fades, there will be a strong sense of pride that remains. It was a semi-final that ended 3-1 but neither the score nor the stats tell the whole story – one where a team, outplayed in the first half, fought back only to be denied by a cruelly deflected goal in the final minutes.