English media lament latest German-inflicted heartbreak

The English media have reacted to their U21 national team's penalty shootout defeat to Germany on Tuesday night with a familiar sense of resignation, bordering on despair.

"We have definitely been here before," wrote "The Guardian," after Southampton's Nathan Redmond became the latest name on a long list of English players to have missed from the spot in tournament shootouts, including Chris Waddle at Italia '90 and current England senior coach Gareth Southgate at Euro '96. Both misses came against Germany.

"The same old story for England," lamented public broadcaster BBC, "Not for the first time, an England team is left to reflect on what might have been after losing a semi-final against Germany on penalties."

Tabloid daily the "Mirror" went for typically British sarcasm, reflecting: "A penalty shoot out to decide a semi final! What could go wrong? The usual, it seems," while mass daily "The Sun" exclaimed: "Not again!"

'Same old England'

Since 1990, England's footballers have lost six out of seven penalty shootouts at World Cups and European Championships, and the English U21s have now also lost two of their last three shootouts  including a bitter 13-12 defeat against the Netherlands in 2007.

"Same old England," said a despairing "Star." "Just when you dare to dream, it all turns to dust against the Germans on penalties." A year to the day that England were humiliated by minnows Iceland at the European Championships in France, optimism had been returning to English football following the country's U20 World Cup triumph in South Korea.

"This summer has been a different story, and for a while it looked like we would have a fourth youth team in a major final," continued the tabloid. "We should have known better. When the penalties were over another semi-final defeat to the Germans became a horrible, hideous reality."

Another footballing Brexit

"The Telegraph" opted to frame the latest English defeat against recent political developments. "Regardless of how our relationship with our neighbours has altered, some things always stay the same in Europe as Germany once again dumped England out of the European Championships after a penalty shoot-out victory," the broadsheet wrote.

"It has been just over a year since we voted for Brexit, which, depending on your view, was either a glorious act of national liberation or ridiculous self-harm, but when it comes to international football tournaments, we are constantly forced to leave against our will."

The paper also produced the classic line referring to Germany as the "old enemy" - despite the fact that most German fans actually consider the Netherlands to be their greatest footballing rival.