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It was just not England's night, says Milner
Jun 25, 2012 12:36:00 PM
The Manchester City midfielder revealed the disappointment in the Three Lions camp but believes Euro 2012 can be a positive step for the squad's young players
England midfielder James Milner has bemoaned the Three Lions' luck after they crashed out of Euro 2012 with defeat to Italy on penalties.The Manchester City man could only watch from the bench after being substituted in the second half as Ashley Young and Ashley Cole missed from the spot to condemn Roy Hodgson's men to defeat.
The 26-year-old expressed his belief that things didn’t go England’s way and admitted the squad are disappointed to go out in such a fashion.
He told Sky Sports: "We practised penalties and we needed a bit of luck. We got ahead in it but it was just not our night. You would have thought that perhaps we were due one at some point, but it just was not to be.
"I can't really put it into words. We had a good group stage and came to the quarters, but to go out on penalties again you can't put into words how disappointing it is."
Despite his disappointment, the 26-year-old hailed the tournament as a valuable experience for the squad's younger players ahead of the upcoming qualifying campaign for the World Cup.
"We have got to take the positives from the tournament and the experience," he added.
"There are a lot of lads who have come into the squad and is their first tournament and it is good experience and hopefully they can take that into the next tournament.
"We will rest now and then we have got one more friendly before the season starts and then the qualifying starts for the World Cup so that is the next aim."
The midfielder also insisted Hodgson’s late appointment had nothing to do with England’s failure to progress to the semi-finals, claiming the squad enjoyed working under the former Liverpool boss.
"We don't want to make excuses and we still don't. The manager changes and done a great job," he continued.
"The lads have enjoyed working with him at this tournament and hopefully there is a lot more tournaments to come."
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