Daring to dream of a place in the World Cup final
Prince caught up in England fever as nation begins to ask if football is coming home at last after 2-0 win
AND SO with an almost surreal sense of expectation, the nation continues to dare to hope.
Come Wednesday evening, legions of football fans who have been startled and enthralled in equal measure by England’s progress in Russia will know whether the national side will feature in a World Cup final for the first time in more than half a century since the triumph over West Germany in 1966.
The 2-0 victory over Sweden on Saturday to set up the semifinal with Croatia was greeted by raucous and jubilant scenes, with famous fans and even members of the Royal Family heralding the England football team’s greatest moment in a generation.
The Duke of Cambridge, who is president of the Football Association, sent his own message of congratulations shortly after the final whistle.
Writing on the Kensington Palace Twitter account, Prince William said: “You wanted to make history @England and you are doing just that. This has been an incredible #WorldCup run and we’ve enjoyed every minute. You deserve this moment – Football’s Coming Home! W”
Former England captain David Beckham – who earlier captured the spirit of a nation with a video insisting football was “coming home” – paid tribute to the team’s “confident, professional” performance that saw goals from Sheffield-born Harry Maguire and Dele Alli either side of halftime in Samara.
An audience of 16.5m watched Tuesday night’s penalty shootout win over Colombia, with an even greater number expected to have tuned in for the Sweden match.
In Doncaster, Nadine Hanlon watched the second half with her husband Lee and their wedding guests after renewing their vows.
She said: “It’s a great day because we’ve renewed our vows but even better that it’s topped off – England won.”
Others installed projectors at their wedding venues to ensure guests were able to keep updated.
And the victory even provoked a jubilant jig by the Archbishop of York when Alli scored as the General Synod of the Church of England took time out to watch the quarter-final. The Church’s main legislative body was in York at the weekend – with almost 500 delegates attending, including bishops, clergy and lay members.
But they agreed to pause the proceedings on Saturday afternoon for the World Cup game, with a picture posted on social media of delegates watching the match on a huge screen at the University of York.
One attendee, Mark Russell, posted another picture of the Archbishop Dr John Sentamu dancing after Alli’s second-half goal.
The game was also deemed so important it prompted a miniexodus from one of the British summer’s great institutions – the Wimbledon tennis tournament – as fans sought out bars showing the match.
And while England only sold a fraction of their allocated tickets for the quarter-final, those who made the journey were more than content.
Terry Shepherd, 66, from Stockton-on-Tees, who was 13 in 1966 when England last lifted the trophy, said: “It’s marvellous. England have had so much heartache over the years.”
There could be a sudden influx of England fans by Wednesday though, after British Airways reported a 700 per cent surge in searches for flights to Russia from the UK as interest has intensified since Tuesday’s win over Columbia.
You deserve this moment – Football’s Coming Home!
W Prince William writing on the Kensington Palace twitter account.
UNLIKE 1966 when England were expected to win the World Cup on home soil, the advance of Gareth Southgate’s youthful side to the semi-final in Russia is unexpected.
Yet there is one striking similarity with Sir Alf Ramsey’s heroes. Like the ‘Boys of ’66’, this special ‘Band of Brothers’ do not appear to have lost touch with their roots.
Though they’re in a privileged position to play in the Premier League, this generation – epitomised by the example set by seven Yorkshire-born players – have served their apprenticeship in the less glamorous lower leagues where there’s a special affinity between players and supporters that Southgate has, to his credit, harnessed quite brilliantly.
Take goalkeeping hero Jordan Pickford. Though he now plays for Everton, he came through the ranks at Sunderland and a seasonlong loan at Bradford City was integral to him getting the experience that he needed and he has not forgotten this.
A tribute to football’s loan system, and its importance, it’s also testament to the Blair government’s decision to invest in sport when it successfully bid for the 2012 Olympics.
These players have all benefited from school PE lessons – Harry Maguire’s primary school in Sheffield are particularly proud of the defender’s achievements – and it is to be hoped that the national euphoria surrounding the ‘Three Lions’ does extend to further support for all grassroots sport.
But there’s one other link between the 1966 and 2018 World Cup squads. Every player, and member of the support staff, recognises that the letter ‘I’ does not feature in the word ‘team’.