The Streets made for fitting accompaniment to the hype video that flooded from England’s social media feeds on Sunday afternoon, the message that this was a Three Lions side ready to end the years of waiting, emulate the heroes of 1966, leave behind those oh-so-nears. Turn the page, was the ask. Only here in Berlin, really, they needed to start a new book.
Instead, on a warm night in the German capital, came a familiar tragedy, the same old story as England stumbled so close, another chapter written in that long tale of hurt.
Did this one sting more? In the moment, it felt easier to rationalise than the cruel penalty shootout loss to Italy on home soil three years ago. Spain, 2-1 winners thanks to Mikel Oyarzabal’s late goal, have been this tournament’s best team by a street, the first to win every game at a 16 or 24-team European Championship — conquerors of Croatia, Italy, Germany, France and now England.
But it also felt more conclusive. Get knocked down, get up again, but what about the time after that? This was Gareth Southgate’s fourth major tournament in charge, an epic stint given the modern scrutinies of the job, and no man has ever led the country into a fifth.
They lost this final late, and by a fine margin, but had reached it by emerging on the right side of the same equation three times in a row
Southgate, whose contract is up in December, said last night that he would reflect on his future, talk to his family and the Football Association, which is desperate for him to stay. To see him bow out as England’s greatest manager since Sir Alf Ramsey, but ultimately still a nearly man, would be tough. Signing up to do this all again, though, with the World Cup two years away, would take a brave soul indeed.
England’s supporters came to the German capital in their tens of thousands — by air, sea, rail and road. Shirts from every era coloured the squares all day. Numberless ones, nameless ones. Ones adorned with men who never played for England — Briggsy, Brownie, Brad — and plenty who did — Alan Shearer, Paul Gascoigne, David Beckham — without ever quite crossing the line.
Sadly on Monday morning, their contemporaries — Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Ollie Watkins, Bukayo Saka — remain stuck in the same camp. Those players have lit up England’s tournament with the moments of dramatic, individual brilliance for which this summer will in time be remembered — Chelsea’s Cole Palmer the latest with his equaliser off the bench here.
But they have been required to do so because as a collective England have not really fired. They lost this final late, and by a fine margin, but had reached it by emerging on the right side of the same equation three times in a row. Indeed, that Spain became such indisputably worthy winners was, in part, because other leading contenders, like England and France, so obviously underperformed.
It had been the nature of England’s progress, in extra-time, on penalties, and then as the clock ticked to 90 minutes in the semi-final against the Dutch, that fostered belief beyond logic that just maybe, something might be happening here.
Southgate, though, had warned otherwise. “Fate,” he said on Saturday night, “the run we’ve had, the late goals, the penalties, that doesn’t equate to it being our moment.” So, into a 59th and then 60th year, we’ll still be waiting for it to come along.
