EXTRA TIME

Football Was Almost Home

July 12, 2021 at 12:00 am Leave a comment

“Football was almost home,” The Telegraph put it after England’s defeat in the European final. With 23 minutes to go in normal time, it was almost home. In extra-time when Raheem Sterling appeared to be through on goal only to be halted by the wall that is Giorgio Chiellini, it was almost home. In the penalty shoot-out when Jordan Pickford saved from Andrea Belotti, it was almost home. And then it was gone. It was taken away.

Mistakes were made. Unfortunately and undoubtedly that was true. As against Croatia in that semi-final three years ago England scored early, scored the quickest goal every scored in a European Championship Final, but ceded control and were eventually pushed back and overpowered as Italy claimed a deserved equalising goal.

England has emphatically won the first-half, catching Italy out with a three-man back-line and wing-backs, but afterwards Southgate was out-manoeuvred by Roberto Mancini in the second.

The boys of 66 remain on their own. The boys of 21 – and some such as Saka and Sancho are no older than that number – were so close to joining them and must go again. It wasn’t to be this time. Football was only almost home.

But next year this young team will get an other chance at the World Cup. Now is not the time to stop believing.

I remember Bayern Munich under the tenure of Jupp Heynckes, 2011/12 and 2012/13: They lost their “Finale dahoam” on penalties, but were even stronger the next season and won the Champions League Final 2013 at Wembley!

Now is not the time to stop believing.

Read more: www.telegraph.co.uk/euro-2021/2021/07/11/england-vs-italy-euro-final-live-2020-score-result-wembley/

Entry filed under: Uncategorized.