What does the future hold for England after Euro 2012 heartbreak?

Ashley Young and Ashley Cole missed crucial penalties as England crashed out of Euro 2012

Turin. London. St Etienne. Lisbon. Gelsenkirchen. Kiev.

The above list of cities sound like idyllic holiday destinations, but for England fans, they represent only one thing. Penalty agony.

In truth, Kiev should not have joined that list last night. Italy should have finished England off well before the referee called time on 120 goalless minutes.

Roy Hodgson's side offered very little going forward except for a decent spell in the first half and allowed Andrea Pirlo the space to dictate the game from midfield. They were poor and extremely fortunate to take the game to spot-kicks.

Last night's game proved England are nowhere near good enough to have a serious chance of winning a major tournament and that Hodgson has a lot of work to do in the next two years before the World Cup in Brazil.

However, he is sure to take the positives from England's experiences in Ukraine.

Going into the tournament, expectations were at an all-time low and Hodgson was only appointed manager in May, so to reach the quarter-finals was something of an achievement.

Many predicted England would crash out at the group stage but they showed a tremendous spirit to top Group D ahead of the much-fancied France, co-hosts Ukraine and England's traditional bogey team, Sweden.

Even in the group stage though, the signs were there that this England side was not good enough.

France monopolised possession in the opening match in Donetsk and perhaps deserved to win the game despite falling behind to a Joleon Lescott opener.

In the second game, England collapsed at the start of the second half against Sweden and a 1-0 lead became a 2-1 deficit, but Theo Walcott inspired them from the bench with a goal and an assist for Danny Welbeck's late winner.

Welbeck's winner against Sweden was one of the highlights of the tournament for England

Walcott's substitute performance against the Swedes was one of the high points of the tournament for England but he struggled to make an impact when called upon in other games.

England sneaked a win against Ukraine thanks to Wayne Rooney's header, but they weren't convincing and Rooney himself looked off the pace in his two appearances after returning from suspension.

Against Italy, England were fantastic defensively but couldn't get any sort of grip on possession and were comfortably second best.

Hodgson will return home devastated by the penalty heartache but buoyed by other aspects of England's play.

He will have to work on the possession side of the game, but defensively, England looked solid throughout the tournament barring the shaky 10 minutes against Sweden.

John Terry justified his selection with some fantastic displays while Lescott looked at home beside him.

Glen Johnson may not have been first-choice right-back had Kyle Walker been fit, but he had a good tournament both defensively and going forward.

Steven Gerrard inspired England from the centre of the park and will be in contention for the team of the tournament, while Danny Welbeck impressed in his first major international tournament.

Some players failed to impress, like Rooney, Ashley Young and James Milner, and Hodgson's thoughts will now turn towards the World Cup qualifiers which start in September.

The bulk of this side will remain in contention but it would not be a surprise to see some younger players given a chance.