Football came home, but couldn’t find the front door

Picture: Twitter/England

The cold hard truth this morning is that England lost. There’s no sugar-coating the reality. We can look upon last night’s Euro 2020 final profoundly and stoically accept that England took Italy to penalties, and that football’s horrible, harsh lottery was the thinnest of margins that divided them. But, Italy scored three, and England just two. As if to compound the mood, it was cold and wet this morning when I woke at an equally cruel 5am to carry out an early work duty. Cold and wet. In July. England personified. 

The pain of last night at Wembley will wear off. It always does. Italy, let’s face it, were nailed-on finalists from the competition’s outset. L’Azzurri came to the Euros with an impressive record, and Roberto Mancini’s side maintained it. To the very last kick. Credit to them: yes, they resorted to outrageous shithousery at times - they usually do - but from start to finish, they exuded a class that the so-called other ‘big hitters’ lacked. Hence the earlier exits of France, the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal and Spain.

But when you put things into that perspective, England’s progress must stand as all the more impressive. Don’t get me wrong - this isn’t some ‘Little England’ pitch: England are a European football giant, it’s just that there are plenty of other giants. There are less giant teams, too, that defy predictable expectations about the usual suspects, like Denmark, for example, who overcame a near tragedy in their opening match to take their campaign to a semi-final. But, perhaps, as chastened as the England team might feel this morning, we finally saw an England in this tournament that we could enjoy.

And while the curse of penalties means that England still remain potless after 55 years, the positives surely must outweigh the disappointment. Getting to a final IS a big deal, and one that, we have all been reminded ad nauseam in recent weeks, has alluded the country since 1966. And though it defies logic, to lose on penalties is still only an unfortunate coda. We wallowed in those wayward spot kicks in 1990 and 1996 being endlessly replayed, but we always seem to forget that in both those cases England took Germany to kicks on level terms in open play. It only takes a blade of grass or a boot lace to make the difference.

Picture: Twitter/England

Hardcore England fans will, though, find it hard to gloss over last night’s missed penalties, but whatever we think of the five who stepped up, remember that they stepped up. A 23-year-old, a 21-year-old and a 19-year-old amongst them. It tales balls to hit those balls, and while, yes, that was what decided matters, how England got there by far outweighs the disappointment. Or, at least, how they got into the final. We’ll have to accept that Italy extending its unbeaten run to 34 games included them applying all their guile and cunning to get back into the game. Going 1-0 down after two minutes in a final can feel like a hill too hard to climb, and it looked to be that way for the first half. But Italy worked their way back in, wearing England down, making it hard for the home side to regroup and regather after each assault. 

Luke Shaw’s sublime goal so early in the fixture will go down as one of the best scored in the white shirt, while the Italian equaliser was a dismal effort bundled over the line. But they all count. And the Italian habit of stretching out games - and stretching opponents in the process - made the descent to penalties inevitable. As extra time ticked down - the first period and then the second - the sight of England’s assistant manager Steve Holland compiling a list behind Gareth Southgate had the air of a hangman preparing his noose in the village square. The knot in the pit of the stomach grew tighter, as if it hadn’t been tense enough for the hours and even days leading up to the game. 

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m horrible to be around when England play at tournaments. I don’t know why I can’t enjoy myself when so many others do. I’ve carped cynically about the euphoria that has carried through Euro 2020 as England progressed, worrying about the “Football’s coming home” refrain as being less of a rallying call as a jinx. I’ve growled at the media coverage, the predictable front page jingoism and the Crosses of St. George flags emblazoned across housing estates like demolition tarpaulins. Nerves got in the way of me being able to appreciate just what Gareth Southgate’s team has done for the country over these last few weeks, a country emotionally and physically sapped by a pandemic, but which found a Blitz-like spirit in the tournament.

Picture: Twitter/England

I hope, then, that we pick ourselves up. Football didn’t come home last night, and our hubris will have to reconcile that. But at least it found the front gate. It even found the keyhole, but like an inebriate returning late from the pub, couldn’t make the key work. Next time, they might. Southgate has much to build on, not least of which, his own performance as the England coach. That building work will also require an honest assessment of his decision making, the far-too late applications of Rashford and Sancho as substitutes, and the selection of young Bukayo as a penalty taker, which could legitimately call into question whether the strongest five were chosen to take the kicks. But these are the judgement calls that disproportionately overshadow the wider achievement of a young squad under Southgate who played like they were enjoying themselves, playing for each other rather than with each other, as has been the charge against England squads in recent years. There was an undoubted freshness about England at these Euros, unencumbered by history. They’ve got only a matter of months to prepare for the next World Cup, and you’d hope that won’t leave enough time for last night’s hangover to linger. If Southgate channels the positives, who knows what these young men can do next year in Qatar? Hopefully, he’s made this same squad hungry for more.

There’s so much more I could reflect on about England this morning. There’s so much more I can reflect on about the last few weeks. “The pain continues” is the inevitable view of the press today, but it really should be seen as a sting rather than a wound. It’s irritating, it’ll itch. It will remain red and angry for a few days more, but it won’t stop us daring to dream again. Football is about winners and losers. Some win, some lose. It doesn’t get simpler, or any more dramatic than that.

So, now that’s out of the way...

"Hard to believe it’s less than a fortnight until the headline 'Theresa May calls snap general election after England brings football home' is running on news websites," joked The Guardian's Jim Waterson last night on Twitter. Well, you wouldn't put it past her, such is the moribund state of her premiership and, moreover, such is the state of English euphoria after the national football team won its first penalty shootout in 22 years.

England's success in Moscow - a moral victory as much as an actual victory - is a big deal...even if it shouldn’t be. After all, England are just out of the Round of 16 and into only their fourth quarter-final since 1986. Such is the paucity of English success at World Cups and the Euros that we'll take rare success in the first knockout game as the confirming sign of changing fortunes. As premature as crowds blocking streets in Shoreditch, Croydon and elsewhere last night were in chanting "Football's coming home", you can't deny the need to celebrate, more out of relief than anything else.

However, to state the obvious, and whilst not wishing to rain on the parade (and at risk of being called a "waxwork" by Danny Baker for continuing to guard against getting carried away), we’re not done yet. Saturday's quarter-final against Sweden won't be the ordeal of cynical play as Colombia offered last night, but it will be robust. And here's why we need to be cautious: England were terrific last night in the first half, taking the game decisively to Colombia. They were particularly pleasing at the back, building through the middle and creating attacking momentum for Kane, Sterling and Alli in particular. But as the second half wore on, England once again started to be opened up. This was a trait of their first three games (even while drubbing Panama, they conceded late in the game), and continued last night when Yerry Mina equalised in the third minute of stoppage time. Do that again against Sweden, and another penalty shootout awaits.

Technically, England still have a lot to do to be regarded as a real threat in this World Cup. But before you react with accusations of treason, I do believe that momentum is carrying them on. Confidence is an unbelievable asset for this young team. Winning in regular time alone would have done the job to boost Gareth Southgate's players, but winning a penalty shootout - for so long the source of all our pain - will have washed through the England camp like a potion. On another day, Colombia would have won that shootout: on another day still, it could be England. Or Colombia again. Who knows. Penalties are a lottery, and that’s what makes them such an excruciating nightmare, but also wildly entertaining and still the only way to settle these fixtures if goals in open play can’t do it.

Much of why England are in this position is down to Southgate and his assistant Steve Holland, and their psychological management as much as their tactical nouse. Their calm, intelligent stewardship of England's young stars probably manifested itself most strongly in that penalty torture. Calm heads prevailed. Southgate, in particular, deserves credit for imparting his own torrid experience at Wembley in 1996. "We're trying to write our own history, and I've talked to the players about that. They write their own stories. We don't have to be bowed by the pressure of the past," he said, reflectively, after last night's result.

However, England do have to face the pressure of the future. The standard line is that they have to now focus on the next game, not dwell on the last (you know, "there are no easy games"). They may be two games from the final, but that next one will be every bit a test of this young England team. Sweden aren't in the quarter-final by default. I'm dancing on the head of a pin, I know. I'd love to gush with unconditional, just-because enthusiasm, but I'm just too paranoid. Remember Kevin Keegan, co-commentating for ITV in the 1998 World Cup when England played Romania in the group stage? "There's only one team that can win this now, and that's England," he told Brian Moore. Five minutes later, Dan Petrescu scored Romania's winner. These things are so easily jinxed.

Southgate's gamble on taking the route more favourable may, now, be seen to have paid off, but only so far. Sweden awaits and beyond that, potentially, Russia or Croatia. There are no easy games, but there's no harm enjoying the ride as we get through them.