Rarely has the phrase "it's coming home" felt less like a lofty ambition and more like destiny as when England's women's national team walked off the field following their 5-0 victory over Northern Ireland on Saturday morning.
Following an almost breathless group stage clean sweep, the sellout home crowd that had packed into St Mary's in Southampton was finally able to take in just how dazzling their Lionesses had become.
Having already topped the group to qualify for the quarterfinals, and with debutants Northern Ireland knowing they'd already been bundled out, there was not much riding on this third and final game of Group A for the host nation.
That is, perhaps, what made it an even more enjoyable match to watch.
Refusing to fall into the trap often laid by complacency, the Lionesses made no changes from the line-up that demolished Norway 8-0 earlier this week, with head coach Sarina Wiegman (who was absent from the touch-line due to COVID-19) opting for consistency and momentum despite coming up against the lowest-ranked side (47) in the tournament.
It would prove a worthwhile approach as their northern rivals defended valiantly, setting up in low blocks that, unlike Norway (who practically laid down like a red carpet to usher in England's goals), posed up a genuine defensive challenge for the tournament favourites to tackle.
They pushed England to the 40th minute before the creative tornado that is Fran Kirby opened the scoring, guiding a strike into the top corner of the net before Golden Boot leader Beth Mead added a second just before the break to take her Euros tally to 5.
But where the Lionesses tried to navigate the mazy thicket of Northern Ireland's defence in the first half, they took to it with a chainsaw in the second.
Substitute striker Alessia Russo buried two athletic goals — a soaring header and a balletic turn-and-strike — to take England's Euros tally to 13 goals so far, setting a new record for the continental championship that was last held by the all-conquering Germany side of 2001, who scored 11 across their group stage before going on to win the whole thing (also on home soil).
An own goal by Kelsie Burrows in the 76th minute was a fitting metaphor for the sheer force of this eclipsing England side, which dominated possession 68 per cent to 32 as well as 9 corners and 25 shots on goal.
The final whistle both brought the game to a merciful end and confirmed the Lionesses as the first Women's Euros team to sail through the group stage without conceding a single goal since 2005.
There is a sense of barrelling fate to this glorious England team: a team heaving with talent, complexity and an almost religious belief in their capabilities, extending from the field to the bench to, increasingly, the fans in the stands.
They are a record-breaking side in a record-breaking tournament: the team that more than 69,000 people gathered into Old Trafford to be mesmerised by, the team that swept aside former winners Norway with an historic scoreline, a team at the heart of the most-watched Women's Euros broadcast ever.
Wiegman may have been physically absent from St Mary's on Saturday, but her presence was nonetheless deeply felt.
The Dutchwoman has not lost a single game in charge since leaving former Euros winners the Netherlands 10 months ago (15 wins, two draws, 98 goals scored, 3 conceded), including their opening 1-0 win over Austria and demolition of Norway, and has turned this Lionesses side into the ruthless, varied and inspired group they have always threatened to become.
Perhaps Northern Ireland manager Kenny Sheils said it best, staring slightly shell-shocked into the middle-distance of the post-match press conference: "England is so far ahead of everybody at this time.
If the songs are anything to go by, two weeks from now a European trophy will surely be doing just that.
