England's hopes at Euro 2020 were crushed after 2 subs brought on specifically for penalty kicks failed at their only job

• England lost to Italy in the Euro 2020 final on Sunday after penalty kicks.
• In the waning minutes of extra time, English manager Gareth Southgate subbed on Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho so they could take part in the penalty shootout.
• Both players missed, leaving England with another heartbreak and Southgate wondering what happened.

England suffered another heartbreak on Sunday, falling to Italy in the Euro 2020 final after penalty kicks.

The final began with a dream start for England, with Luke Shaw netting an opening goal in the second minute of action to jump the Three Lions out to an early lead.

But after a frantic first half, Italy found an equalizer in the second half that sent the game to extra time knotted at 1-1. After 30 additional minutes, the Euro final was set to be decided by penalty kicks.

Just minutes before the final whistle sounded, English manager Gareth Southgate changed his lineup, subbing in Marcus Rashford for Jordan Henderson and Jadon Sancho for Kyle Walker. The subs were made with one goal in mind - winning the match on penalties.

Neither Sancho nor Rashford played more than 100 minutes in the tournament. But with the game heading to penalties, Southgate turned to them for their ability from the spot.

Unfortunately for Southgate and England, both players missed.

With England trailing 3-2 and down to their last attempt, 19-year-old Bukayo Saka stepped to the spot and was stopped by Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Italy had won the trophy.

It was a brutal break for England and Southgate, whose playing career was marked by a miss from the penalty spot for his country at Euro 1996.

After the match, Southgate received criticism for the late substitutions. Southgate responded by saying the late substitutions were a risk but that his other option - bringing on his more offensive players earlier in extra time - was also a risk in that it would have left the team unbalanced.

"That is the risk you run, but they have been the best in the lead-in, and to throw all those attacking players on, you have to do it late," Southgate told ITV, according to The World Game, when asked about bringing in cold players.

"You have got to have balance to the team. You can't just throw on attacking players earlier, or you lose your shape and don't have a foothold in the game.

"It was a gamble, but if we gambled earlier in the game, we maybe lose the game in extra time. I chose the guys to take the kicks."

Southgate also took responsibility for putting Saka at the spot for the final shot.

"It's my decision to give him that penalty, so that is totally my responsibility. Not his. The same with Marcus or Jadon. We work together, worked through them in training, that was the order that we came to. I said afterwards that nobody was on their own in that situation [missing a penalty].

"We decided to make the changes late in the game, and we lose together as a team. The players have been tight throughout, and that's how it will stay."

Managerial decisions can make or break a match, especially in one as tightly contested as the final was, and Southgate's call to sub on Sancho and Rashford in the final moments, and their subsequent failure to convert their kicks, will be second-guessed for years to come.