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England's long-awaited dreams of football victory were shattered on Sunday evening in the Euro 2020 final.
Fans woke up on Monday morning with sore heads and a profound sense of disappointment.
Despite a promising start that saw Luke Shaw score England’s only goal after just two minutes, Italy’s dominance grew throughout the game, culminating in a nail-biting penalty shootout that saw Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka all fail to hit the target.
Speaking after the defeat, England manager Gareth Southgate said: "You have to feel that disappointment because the opportunities to win trophies like this are so rare in your life.
"But when they reflect on what they have done, they should be incredibly proud of themselves. The players have been an absolute credit. They have given everything they possibly could."
Southgate also spoke out against the "unforgivable" racist abuse directed at Rashford, Sancho and Saka since the match.
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Last night, national treasure Rashford said: "I can take critique of my performance all day long, my penalty was not good enough, it should have gone in 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 tens of thousands."
England captain Harry Kane added: "We should be extremely proud as a group of what we’ve achieved.
"I couldn’t have given more, the boys could not have given more. We’ll learn and grow from it – and it will give us even more motivation to do well in the World Cup next year."
But what’s the best way to deal with disappointment?
According to The Mind Map, a mental health training and counselling service, there's a healthy way to approach a loss.
"Sunday's game hit hard," founder Phil Bridges tells OK!.
"As an emotion, disappointment sits somewhere between loss and sadness. For those emotionally invested in the Euro final, the outcome will have caused differing levels of stress.
"It's important to balance the disappointment with some joy, positivity and relaxation, where possible. Do what you enjoy: go for a walk, connect with friends, be your own hero at five-a-side.
"It might be tempting to reach for the vices but they'll only heighten the distress.
"Hopefully we can bring it home from Qatar in 2022."
He continued: "In addition to healthy distractions, disappointment can be remedied with acceptance. Face the emotion head on. If you need a temporary wallow then do it. But make sure you dust yourself down and reconnect with the good things in your life.
"You may have heard the old adage 'expectation is the root of all heartache'. And you could insulate yourself against future disappointments by being realistic with your expectations.
"This is a fine line however, as there is a risk of setting the bar too low and therefore not realising yours or the team's full potential.
"Without realising it, this self-preservation can lead to an unfulfilled life.
"Paradoxically, there is a risk of trying in vain to avoid disappointment by becoming overachievers. Telling yourself your high expectations are appropriate and realistic, forgetting that perfectionism rarely results in satisfaction.
"Like anything, it's about balance."
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