England's penalty shoot-out misery not the only familiar problem in U21 semi-final defeat to Germany

It was all very familiar in the end for the England team who crashed out of the European Under-21 Championship at the semi-final stage on Tuesday.

Yes, they went out on penalties, as Stuart Pearce’s side did at the same stage 10 years and one week ago. This evening can join the long succession of England tournament penalty exits, along with 2012, 2006, 2004, 1998, 1996 and 1990. Jordan Pickford, England’s man of the tournament, did make a good save from Yannick Gerhardt. But it was not enough as Tammy Abraham and Nathan Redmond saw their efforts saved.

Those two players may be criticised although it would be unfair on a 19-year-old and a 23-year-old who put their skills to the test with everything on the line. If they had scored, and England had won, it would have been a triumph, but it would also have been a steal.

Because the real familiarity in this game for England was not in the manner of their penalty defeat, but in their poor performance over 120 minutes. As bravely as England played, and as hard as they worked, there is no avoiding the fact that Germany were the better team who played the better football.

England did so well to climb back from 1-0 down to 2-1 up, with goals from Demarai Gray and Abraham either side of half-time. But after they had gone 2-1 up, this was one of the classic England performances. They sat back and invited Germany onto them and it was not surprising or undeserved when Felix Platte headed in to equalise with 20 minutes left.

England teams have never been comfortable defending leads and even with technically gifted players, as this team has, there is a reluctance to put their foot on the ball. It is more about hit and hope.

It was the same when England seniors went ahead against Romania and Portugal in Euro 2000 and were knocked out. Or against Brazil in the 2002 quarter-final which they lost. Or when they went ahead to France and Portugal in 2004 and lost both. This decade in major tournaments, England were ahead against the United States in 2010 and drew, and ahead against France in 2012 and drew that. Last year in France they were briefly ahead against Russia and Iceland but drew and lost those games too, the last being the worst of the lot.

This, ultimately, is the great national failing in our football. The problem is not the players as much as the mentality. If their reaction to being ahead in a game is to panic, rather than to relax, then they are never going to get anywhere against proper opposition at the top level. No matter how good the individuals happen to be.