LogFAQs > #903550760

That's kinda why for all the bad rep the England 'golden generation' gets, people sometimes forget just how many times they got screwed over by penalties and/or bad referee decisions. There was certainly bad performances in there like Euro 2000 and not qualifying for Euro 2008 but most big tournament defeats were marred by red cards, disallowed goals and/or penalties

Euro 96 - Lost on Penalties. Game winning goal disallowed
WC 98 - Lost on Penalties. Beckham red card
WC 02 - Wonder goal. This one hurt the most as England deserved to win and had a man advantage, just weren't clinical.
Euro 04 - Lost on Penalties. Had a goal disallowed
WC 06 - Lost on Penalties. Rooney red card

Everything after that is kind of a disappointment and a declining team. There was the Lampard goal that crossed the line in 2010 yet wasn't given causing England to implode afterwards but it's hard to argue with a 4-1 scoreline even if the 'goal' would have tied things up. Plus if we had taken care of business like we were supposed to in the group stage, we would have had a far easier path. Not sure we beat Holland in the semi's in that alternate reality though as they won every game in qualifying and won all their game in the World Cup up to that point

There was the penalty loss to Italy in 2012 too but we were so thoroughly outplayed in normal time that game that if we had won on penalties, it would have been a robbery.