For Gareth Southgate, it had to be penalties. The England manager’s personal story has been shaped by his decisive shootout miss against Germany back in 1996 at this stadium in the semi-finals of this competition. Now, after 120 nerve-shredding minutes of England men’s first major final since the 1966 World Cup victory, when initial control gave way to a fraught struggle, it once again boiled to the ultimate test of nerve.
Southgate and his players have torn down so many psychological barriers over the past three years, reconnecting the team with the nation, beginning with the surge into the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Back then, there was the victory in a shootout against Colombia in the last 16 – only England’s second such success in eight major tournament attempts; a major step forward.
Written by David Hytner at Wembley
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jul/11/italy-crush-england-dreams-after-winning-euro-2020-on-penalties under the title “Italy crush England’s dreams after winning Euro 2020 on penalties”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
