In the end, it was – almost – a bit of a miniature penalty shoot-out, a fitting way for a team managed by Gareth Southgate to get to their cherished Euros final, the first ever.
It was a somewhat homely local Premier League affair, an average Wednesday night with Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) just getting the better of Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City). Were it not for Raheem Sterling forcing a rapid equaliser through Simon Kjaer’s own goal, Kane wouldn’t have got his chance.
The win had its rough edges, but England has been on the wrong side of those in the past. Portugal, France, Germany, Spain, and, indeed, Denmark didn’t quite make it. Ronaldo, Torres, De Bruyne, Lukaku, Mbappe... all gone home. England made it, albeit with some luck, which hasn’t always been the case. They might even beat an equally uneven Italian side.
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