The pain of this loss will linger for some time, particularly for Gareth Southgate.
Of course, the players will be heartbroken; they truly believed this was their time.
But they’ll be back at their clubs playing Premier League football before they know it. Their anguish will be cast aside, their focus will shift to the trials and tribulations of the domestic scene.
For Southgate, though, he doesn’t have the opportunity of jumping straight back on the horse.
He’ll dwell, analyse and then dwell a little bit more.