Penalty shoot-outs are cruel. Just ask the current England manager Gareth Southgate. His 1996 penalty miss against Germany in the European Championship semi-final marked his career. Wherever he went and whatever he did, he was still the guy who missed THAT penalty. Sadly for him, history has a nasty habit of repeating itself. A new generation of England players had the nation’s expectations on their shoulders – and failed.‘For some of them to be abused is unforgivable’ — England’s manager Gareth Southgate gave a passionate defense of players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka after the 3 received racist abuse from social media in the wake of the team’s loss to Italy in the Euro final. pic.twitter.com/xb5v5VPhq3— NowThis (@nowthisnews) July 13, 2021 Marcus Rashford was brought in from the bench late in England’s Euro 2020 final against Italy, with the score locked at 1-1. Southgate decided to send the Manchester United man on because he’s a proven penalty kick taker. He missed his kick. He wasn’t the only one who failed to score, but that doesn’t lessen the pain. Marcus wrote a heartfelt letter to the public on his Twitter page.”I don’t even know how to put into words how I’m feeling at this exact time. I’ve had a difficult season, and I probably went into that final with a lack of confidence. I’ve always backed myself for a penalty, but something didn’t feel quite right. During the long run-up, I was saving myself a bit of time, and unfortunately, the result was not what I wanted. I felt as though I had let my teammates down. A penalty was all I’d been asked to contribute for the team. I can score penalties in my sleep, so why not that one? It’s been playing over in my head — there’s probably not a word to describe how it feels. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mozzart Sport Kenya (@mozzartsportke) England was in a state of frenzy ever since the start of the tournament and their 1-0 win over Luka Modric’s Croatia. The expectations became higher with every passing match, culminating with the Wembley final fever spilt onto the streets before and after the game. England’s wait of claiming a trophy in a major international tournament has been going on since 1966. They thought it was going to end – but it didn’t. They didn’t get their hands on the trophy, but Rashford is still proud of how the team has been working in unity.”Final. Fifty-five years. One penalty. History. All I can say is sorry. I wish it had gone differently. Whilst I continue to say sorry, I want to shout out to my teammates. A brotherhood has been built and that is unbreakable. Your success is my success. Your failures are mine.”England players remain united (©Gallo Images)Apart from football-related scrutiny, which is perfectly normal and expected, many so-called supporters insulted England players on a personal level. Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho and Rashford have been targeted by vile racist comments from numerous angry people on social media as lack of responsibility and common sense led to England showing its ugly side.”I can take critique of my performance all day long. My penalty was not good enough. But I will never apologise for who I am and where I came from. I’ve felt no prouder moment than wearing those three lions on my chest and seeing my family cheer me on in a crowd of 10s of thousands. The messages I’ve received today have been positively overwhelming, and seeing the response in Withington had me on the verge of tears. The communities that always wrapped their arms around me continue to hold me up.”pic.twitter.com/bs9lksGM4q— Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) July 12, 2021 The brave Red Devil and English Lion has done a lot of work in the community, helping the fight against poverty, injustice and violence in schools. One missed penalty won’t change that.”I’m Marcus Rashford, a 23-year-old black man from south Manchester. If I have nothing else, I have that. For all the kind messages, thank you. I’ll be back stronger. We’ll be back stronger.”This is the scene at the Marcus Rashford mural in Withington this morning. Messages of love have covered up racist graffiti daubed on the portrait. Rashford says the community’s support has left him ‘on the verge of tears.’ pic.twitter.com/txcGtZKQ83— BBC North West (@BBCNWT) July 13, 2021 Marcus Rashford, we salute you!
