Elation: Alessandro Diamanti celebrates his match winning penalty

This was the latest in a long line of penalty shoot-out exits from major tournaments, following on from 1990, 1996, 1998, 2004 and 2006, and while Gerrard praised his team-mates for their showing in Poland and Ukraine, he conceded it was a painful way to go out.

'Everyone's been great in training, every time we've come out I think we've done the country proud, but again we're going home with heartbreak, which is difficult to take,' he said.

The Liverpool midfielder added: 'I just feel for the players who from day one have given everything and today we did the same.

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