There was joy for former manager Roberto Mancini, whose Italy side won a nerve-shredding penalty shootout to dash the hopes of Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, Kyle Walker and John Stones.
It was heart-breaking for our England quartet, who were part of City’s 13 strong group of representatives at the tournament, all of whom progressed to the knockout stages.
Here, we look back at how they performed across the competition.
Nathan Ake
After a debut campaign disrupted by injury, the 26-year-old was unable to force his way into Frank de Boer’s starting XI, playing just 52 minutes in the tournament as the Netherlands suffered a shock last 16 elimination at the hands of the Czech Republic.
Ake was introduced for the final 26 minutes in their opening two group games and provided the assist for Denzel Dumfries’ late winner in the dramatic 3-2 win over Ukraine.
Utilised on the left of a three-man defence, the pinpoint cross from deep was the highlight of the tournament for City’s No.6
Kevin De Bruyne
The playmaker scored once and provided two assists as Belgium reached the quarter-finals, where they were beaten by eventual champions, Italy.
De Bruyne missed the opening game of the tournament after joining the squad late following a minor operation required after the facial injury he suffered in the Champions League final against Chelsea.
But he inspired Roberto Martinez’s side to a comeback victory over Denmark in the following match.
Sent on at half-time with Belgium trailing 1-0, City’s No.17’s pass allowed Thorgan Hazard to tap home an equaliser, before he struck the winner from the edge of the area to complete a fine team move.
A precise pass set up Romelu Lukaku’s winning goal against Finland, before he suffered more injury woe as an ankle injury forced him off in the last 16 victory over Portugal.
And, although he went close with an effort after recovering in time to face Italy, he was unable to send Belgium’s golden generation into the semi-finals.
Ruben Dias
The centre-half played every minute as Portugal progressed through the ‘Group of Death’ only to lose to Belgium in the last 16.
Dias helped Fernando Santos’ men keep a clean sheet with a dominant victory over Hungary in the opening game but scored an own goal in the 4-2 defeat to Germany after turning Robin Gosens’ cross past his goalkeeper in his attempt to clear.
The 24-year-old led his team for completed passes (304).
Phil Foden
It was a particularly agonising end for the tournament for Foden, with the disappointment of England’s defeat to Italy compounded by the fact he missed the game with a foot injury.
His championships had started so brightly, with an impressive performance in the 1-0 win over Croatia enough for him to retain his place against Scotland, but he was left out completely against the Czech Republic and was an unused substitute as the Three Lions beat Germany.
He was afforded the same fate in the quarter-final, but came off the bench in extra-time against Denmark and the joy in his face captured the nation’s mood perfectly as Harry Kane sent England through to a first final in 55-years.
That injury intervened was a cruel end to our Academy graduate’s first major tournament.
Ilkay Gundogan
The City midfielder started every game as Germany finished second behind France in Group F, but was an unused substitute in the last 16 defeat to England at Wembley.
He saw a half-volley drift wide as he completed the entire 90 minutes in the opening defeat to France and was withdrawn in the second half in the 4-2 win over Portugal and the dramatic 2-2 draw with Hungary that followed.
Aymeric Laporte
The 27-year-old played every minute as Spain advanced to the semi-finals and completed the most passes in the entire tournament.
Having switched allegiances from France before the championships began, Laporte became a key figure in Luis Enrique’s squad and scored his first international goal with a header in the 5-0 win over Slovakia in the group stage.
In the quarter-finals, confusion between himself and centre-back partner Pau Torres allowed Xherdan Shaqiri to equalise as Switzerland took Spain to penalties and though they emerged victorious, they suffered shootout heartbreak in their semi-final defeat to Italy.
Rodrigo
After starting the first two games of the tournament, City’s anchorman was reduced to a substitute role when Sergio Busquets came back into the Spain side.
However, he was Luis Enrique’s go to man off the bench in the knockout stage, and was sent on to close out the 5-3 win over Croatia in the Round of 16.
It was a similar story in the last eight when he was brought on in the final minute of extra-time for the penalty shootout.
The 25-year-old missed, but his blushes were spared as Spain still progressed.
Bernardo Silva
Bernardo started every game en route to Portugal reaching the last 16, but was substituted each time in the second half.
Despite going into the tournament with five goals and nine assists to his name for City during the 2020/21 season, his early withdrawals meant the playmaker ended the competition without a goal or assist to his name.
Raheem Sterling
England’s best player.
The City winger’s place in the starting XI was questioned before the tournament, but he enjoyed a superb campaign, scoring three goals and providing one assist.
Sterling was the Three Lions match winner against Croatia and the Czech Republic and enjoyed a special moment in the Wembley stadium a stone’s throw from where grew up when he opened the scoring in the last 16 victory over Germany.
The 26-year-old was equally impressive in the quarter-final against Ukraine and won the decisive penalty against Denmark in the last four as he embraced his role as England’s talisman.
John Stones
Stones was outstanding for City in the 2020/21 season and his club form transferred seamlessly onto the international stage this summer.
He started every game in an England side which only conceded twice and made history as the first team to go through the first five games of the European Championships without conceding a goal.
The Barnsley-born centre-half led the Three Lions for the number of passes completed and was a composed, authoritative figure throughout the tournament.
Ferran Torres
Having made his senior debut at the start of last season, Torres made an impressive start to his senior international career, scoring six times in his first 10 games.
And the City winger produced several eye-catching moments as Spain reached the semi-finals.
The 21-year-old played in every game for Luis Enrique’s side, the highlight being his deft flick to score in the 5-0 rout of Slovakia in the group stage.
He was on target again in the last 16 thriller with Croatia, beating his opposite number to Pau Torres’ long ball forward and calmly converting.
Kyle Walker
Like Stones, Walker was an integral part of England’s watertight defence, playing in both his traditional full-back role and as a right-sided centre-back in a three-man defence.
He was not involved against Scotland, but started every other game in the tournament and nobody made more ball recoveries for the Three Lions.
Against Denmark the 31-year-old again proved himself to be one of the finest defenders in the world against the counter-attack, whilst in the final, his overlapping run dragged defenders away from Kieran Trippier as he crossed for Luke Shaw’s opening goal.
Oleksandr Zinchenko
The City full-back played every minute of Ukraine’s campaign, which ended in a 4-0 defeat to England at the quarter-final stage.
In a change from his club career, the 24-year-old was deployed in midfield by Andriy Shevchenko, with his most telling impact coming in the 2-1 win over Sweden in the last 16, when he shone out wide.
Zinchenko opened the scoring with a fierce drive and then turned provider with a teasing ball for Artem Dovbyk to head home in the final minute of extra time.
