EXPLOSION OF RELIEF MUST HAVEBEEN HEARD ON THEMOON

ENGLAND’S World Cup dream is gloriously, joyously alive. But it was so nearly another calamitous failure. After the agony of yet another World Cup penalty shoot-out, the emotional torture of missed kicks, heroic saves and finally, finally, a victorious strike, the flames of hope for football glory now burn with a new intensity.

England’s win against Colombia last night was truly a moment to inspire the nation. But, boy, did they do it the hard way.

After so many losses on penalties had gouged a scar into the nation’s soul, most of the millions watching were convinced the men in red would fail again. The explosion of relief and delight as the last goal scorched in must have been heard in space. Above all, it was a laying to rest of the demons that dog England’s steps in every major tournament.

If it happens all over again against Sweden on Saturday, will England fans finally begin a penalty shoot-out with something like confidence?

Away from the pitch, the euphoria triggered by this win has surely fuelled the upbeat mood of the country, already basking in the sunshine of a record-breaking early summer heatwave.

Used to drizzle in the skies and defeat on the field, the British public now has the unusual chance to experience the warm glow of both Mediterranean-style weather and English footballing brilliance.

Indeed, the triumph last night was all the sweeter because it came after so many years of humiliation. Incredibly, despite the riches of our national game and its colossal public support, this is the first time that England have won a match at the knock- out stage of an international tournament since 2006.

Only two years ago, in the European championship, England suffered the embarrassment of losing to Iceland, a country whose population is smaller than that of Stoke-on-Trent.

That defeat turned England into an international laughing stock, but nobody can fail to take the team seriously today.

Now into the quarter-finals, Gareth Southgate’s squad has the chance to write a new chapter in our national sporting history.

There is even a slim possibility that England could gain the ultimate prize and emulate the achievement of the legendary 1966 team, given how many great footballing nations have already been eliminated, such as Germany, Portugal, Spain and Argentina.

Such a prospect would have seemed utterly fanciful a fortnight ago. The baggage of England’s recent dismal record, combined with the players’ relative inexperience, meant that Southgate’s team travelled to Moscow as outsiders. Only diehard fans thought they would get this far.

Yet, paradoxically, England may have been helped by the lack of expectations. Unlike the so-called ‘golden generation’, headed by David Beckham, Southgate’s team have been liberated from the burden of exaggerated optimism. The absence of overblown pressures has been reflected not only in their creative style of play on the field, but also in their modest demeanour off it.

This is a team that speaks for itself through results rather than celebrity swagger.

Just three of the players – Ashley Young, Jamie Vardy and Gary Cahill – had been born at the time of Italia 90, when Paul Gascoigne’s tear- stained magic brought England to the verge of the World Cup final.

But the emphasis on youth has brought vitality and fearlessness to the team’s approach. Inexperience also meant exuberance.

The progress so far is also a personal tribute to Gareth Southgate, a figure of increasing authority and unflappability.

HE was only handed the England role less than two years ago, but by combining tactical awareness with shrewd judgment, coolness in the heat of battle and a touch of wry, self-deprecating humour, Southgate commands a natural respect among his players.

Watching the scenes of national jubilation after the final whistle last night, some cynics might argue that all this excitement is grossly overdone.

After all football is only a game, they would say. But such a lofty attitude betrays a profound unwillingness to understand humanity.

The truth is that sporting pride is an extension of national pride, the noble quality that – at its best – promotes a mutual sense of belonging, solidarity and self-sacrifice for the greater good.

What lifts up the spirits of the public is good for the nation, whether through the feel-good factor that bolsters consumer confidence (yes, a good World Cup run really can boost the economy) or through the shared happiness that brings people and neighbourhoods together. Sport is a far greater force for national unity than all the rhetoric of politicians or the edicts of bureaucrats.

Outside football, our country has been lucky enough to have its share of international success, like the tennis victories of Sir Andy Murray – sadly forced to withdraw from this year’s Wimbledon – and the unprecedented gold rushes of the last two Olympic games in London and Rio.

Several British stars are among the greatest in their fields, like racing driver Lewis Hamilton, heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua and four-times Tour de France champion Chris Froome.

But achievement in international football has been missing for too long. That is a serious problem given the central role the sport plays in our national life, reflected in the phenomenal television viewing figures for the World Cup.

Now, at last, Southgate’s team is beginning to reward that unique level of interest.

It can only be hoped the selfbelief that drove his team last night might be mirrored by our political class, who show far too little confidence in Britain at all.

That is particularly true of Brexit, which should be seen as a golden opportunity for national renewal, but instead is treated by Westminster and Whitehall as a looming crisis to be minimised. Government Ministers are timid, Remainers defeatist.

Victory over Colombia should be a welcome antidote to the gloom and division wilfully manufactured by anti-Brexiteers. We have proved ourselves a major player on the football field. We can be the same on the global stage once we’re freed from the EU’s bureaucracy.

The progressive metropolitan elite like to sneer at such ideas, but that’s because, in their worship of Brussels and globalist ideology, they loathe the very concept of national identities and patriotism. The national side, far from encouraging bigotry and xenophobia, is actually a force for tolerance and integration.

SOUTHGATE’S team has done more for race relations than all the antics of self-appointed social justice warriors and so-called equality campaigners.

His squad is truly diverse, with 11 of its 23 players of black or mixed race backgrounds. But that diversity is the result of genuine talent rather than the kind of box-ticking exercise in reverse discrimination so beloved of the public sector race commissars.

Moreover, Southgate’s England has much more widespread appeal than the divisive identity politics peddled by progressives.

The ability of football to act as a patriotic force for civic unity was highlighted by the black England player Ashley Young, who said how ‘important’ it was that everyone in the squad ‘ knew the national anthem and sang their hearts out. It’s not just those playing. It starts on the bench and everyone’s together. We link arms to show our togetherness.’

Thanks to Young and his teammates, the nation is now singing its heart out – and it’s all thanks to penalties!