The skilful Italians soon thwarted any hope of English victory. The Italian striker Alessandro Diamanti put the final nail in the coffin by coolly slotting in the winner past England goalkeeper Joe Hart.
As Italian fans and players celebrated, English dreams were left shattered and deflated. England captain, Steven Gerrard, said his players were heartbroken at their departure from the tournament. The agonising jinx of losing a match on penalties continues to haunt the England team.
The players must now return home with their tails between their legs. But there is some consolation: the young team only lost by a narrow margin and the setback will last just two years before England mount their next challenge at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
But if faced with another penalty shootout, can England finally overcome the odds and triumph?
Quiz 測驗 1. By what other name is the England football team known?
The Three Lions
2. What phrase describes when a result is not known and remains in suspense?
hung in the balance
3. What word in the article means zero?
nil
4. What verb means 'stopped' or 'prevented'?
thwarted
5. What word means something has bad luck?
jinx
Glossary 词汇表 crashed out 出局，被淘汰 penalty shootout 罰點球 pipped at the post 在最後一刻被擊敗，功敗垂成 hung in the balance 不相上下，勝敗未定 the omens 預兆 misplaced 錯誤判斷 with their hearts in their mouths 懸心吊膽，心驚肉跳 thwarted 挫敗 the final nail in the coffin 蓋館定論，最終失敗 shattered 粉碎，破滅 deflated洩氣 heartbroken傷心的 jinx厄運 to haunt 縈繞 with their tails between their legs 夾著尾巴 consolation安慰 a narrow margin 比分相差極小 setback 挫折 overcome the odds 克服困難
