25:Picture Credit
Things have definitely not turned out well for the England football team after they lost the Euro 2020 final to Italy on Sunday. The trio of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, in particular, have been on the receiving end of the vehement criticism for their missed penalties at a critical juncture in the game. Such was the outrage of the fans that some took to social media to even racially abuse the players.
Breaking down by all the criticism and abuse, Rashford took to social media on Tuesday (IST) to share a post apologising for the missed penalty in the grand finale of Euro 2020. An emotional Rashford also shared the messages of some fans who had put up handwritten notes for him in praise of the English foward.
Getting touched by the emotional post of Rashford, former international cricketers Michael Vaughan and AB de Villiers extended their support to the English striker. While the Protea wrote "Respect!", Vaughan shared heart emojis.
Rashford's mural vandalised
A mural honouring Rashford in Withington was vandalised by some people after the player missed the penalty on Sunday night. The artwork was marred by several swear words with some racial attack as well. Later, the offense was covered with bin liners and fans wrote encouring messages for Rashford, which melted down the player.
All I can say is sorry: Rashford
It is worth noting that had England defeated Italy in the final, it would have been their maiden European Championship title. What would have hurt them the most is the fact that they lost the game despite being leading twice.
"I felt as though I had let my team-mates down. I felt as if I'd let everyone down. A penalty was all I'd been asked to contribute for the team," Rashford said in his apology message to the fans.
"I can penalties in my sleep so why not that one? It's been playing in my head over and over since I struck the ball and there's probably not a word to quite describe how it feels. Final. 55 years. 1 penalty. History. All I can say is sorry," he added.