Shaw reacts emotionally to the Euro 2020 final

Monday 12 July 2021 12:13

Manchester United defender Luke Shaw has communicated a message of support to his England team-mates Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka following Sunday’s Euro 2020 final.

The three players all missed penalties during a dramatic shootout that resulted in Italy lifting the trophy at Wembley Stadium, following a tense and nerve-wracking 1-1 draw. 

Shaw, who opened the scoring with a tremendous finish in the second minute, is understandably devastated about the outcome but states the Three Lions will always win and lose as a team.

Asked about Saka missing the crucial penalty, Shaw said: “He's devastated, but the most important thing is for us now as a team to be there for him and give him a big hug. I told him to keep his head up, it happens, anything can happen in a penalty shootout, as a lot of people know. It's an experience he'll learn from, he knows that. It's not just him, though, Rashy and Sanch as well, we're with them all, we win as a team, we lose as a team, there are no individuals that cost [us] that.” 
"We win as a team, we lose as a team, we all lost tonight," said Luke on Sunday evening.
Expanding on the result, Luke continued: “It is devastating, it's gutting, it's not what we wanted. I think we were very confident about today, we felt in a good way, we felt we were going in the right direction with performances. It was devastating, we gave everything we could but we've come up short. It's a step in the right direction of what we want to achieve, a final, first time in history that's happened [in the European Championship], but from not just me, but the team, it's not enough.”
Providing an insight into Gareth Southgate’s post-match debrief, Shaw said: “He just said keep our heads up, it's just one of them. It's not much he could say apart from, 'keep your heads up'. He said what a fantastic group everyone is a part of and things are going in the right direction.

“We're all really gutted and it hurts a lot. The squad in general, the togetherness is definitely there, it's clear you could see that even after the game with that huddle, the way we were with the lads who missed, we were all together there. We win as a team, we lose as a team, we all lost tonight.”

Shaw can now look forward to some well-earned rest and recuperation following a tournament in which he was undoubtedly one of the star performers. The left-back earned rave reviews for his performances and finished with impressive attacking statistics: three assists and one goal. 

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