Geoff Hurst meets Kate Moss
Sunday July 11 Italy 1- 1 England ( 3- 2 pens)
STORY OF THE ROUND
Ahead of England’s first final for 55 years, polls suggest that Southgate is now more popular than Churchill.
Perhaps eager to live up to that billing, the manager starts chucking war references into his pre- match press conference. “People have tried to invade us - we’ve had the courage to hold that back,” Southgate randomly asserts, stopping short of vowing to fight the Azzurri on the beaches.
After 2016 hero Eder delivers the trophy pre- match, the first time anyone has seen or heard from him in exactly five years, Operation Wing- Back looks to be bearing fruit when Kieran Trippier crosses for Luke Shaw to put England in front. Keeping hold of the ball proves trickier: Italy dominate and eventually level through grizzled super- defender Leonardo Bonucci, forcing extra time.
After winning it once, England have to go out there and win it again – but unlike 1966, this time it’s beyond them. The end is greeted by a groan from the crowd, fearing how things might go in the first Euros final penalty shootout since the days of Antonin Panenka.
Those fears are sadly justified when Marcus Rashford hits a post, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka can’t get past Italy’s 9ft 7in goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, and glory is the visitors’.
Eighth favourites with the bookies pre- tournament, they become the first nation ever to greedily snare Eurovision
and the Euros in the same year. How about giving someone else a chance?
Having purged the ghosts of a semi penalty shootout defeat just four days earlier, Southgate now has a final loss to live with as well. Perhaps it was the only fitting way for the Official Euro 96 Nostalgia Tour to end.
THE GOOD
Scored after just 117 seconds, Shaw’s goal is the fastest in a Euros final. Cue fist bumps in the Royal Box between Beckham and Tom Cruise – a curious combo, though still not as random as Geoff Hurst sitting behind Kate Moss.
THE BAD
With tickets touted for as much as £ 54,000 online, desperate yobs try to enact football’s own Storming of the
Capitol, somehow managing to break into Wembley without tickets. There’s more trouble in Leicester Square – and a man with a lit flare up his backside. Sadly, worse follows after the match: online trolls aim racist abuse at Saka, Sancho and Rashford, whose mural in Manchester is also defaced. It’s a truly depressing end to a magical summer.
THE WEIRD
Jacob Rees- Mogg recites John Barnes’
World In Motion rap in the House of Commons, despite previously showing very little interest in football. He’ll be getting a season ticket for Orient next.
TV WATCH
Almost 31 million watch the final in the UK – the biggest TV audience since the funeral of Princess Diana. The BBC grab 25m of those viewers; ITV try to lure people in with Frankie Dettori’s pre- match thoughts, but soon wonder whether they should have just shown a Corrie marathon or all- new Bullseye with extra speedboats, as poor Sam Matterface is left screaming Murder
She Wrote facts into the ether.
THEY SAID WHAT?
“Since the end of May, we have been saying that something magical is in the air. At this age, we realise even more what it means to win this trophy,” says Italy’s 36- year- old skipper Giorgio Chiellini, who’s just two years older than defensive partner Bonucci. After previous defeats together in Euros and Champions League finals, continental glory is theirs at long last.
ITALY WERE EIGHTH FAVOURITES BEFORE THE TOURNAMENT, BUT THEN DOMINATE