It was all a dream. It was supposed to be the match that changed the narrative, a redemption story to end all others and a 55-year-long streak of bad luck. But it wasn’t to be – England’s hopes were dashed once again in an agonisingly close contest that Italy eventually won on penalties.
With less than an hour to go before the kick-off of the Euro 2020 final, to those stepping out of Charing Cross station on Sunday afternoon, the anticipation had been palpable.
Thousands of football fans, many cloaked in the flag of St George, roamed the streets of central London, screaming that football was coming home, chanting and clapping on cue to the sound of a foghorn: “England!” The air was close with the smell of smoke and beer. Some fans had clearly started early, staggering around and breaking bottles against lamp-posts, while mounted police and officers in riot gear stood guard around the fan zone in Trafalgar Square.
It was less rowdy inside, where 1,400 fans had gathered. Lee Clark, 42, was beside himself. Asked how he was feeling about the match, a wide-eyed Clark said he felt sick. “I’m so nervous,” he said, holding his hands up to his face and shaking his head. “It’s going to be a horrible experience.”
An early England goal would settle his nerves, said Clark, who is no stranger to disappointment. “Being an England fan is horrible. I’m a Spurs fan too. It’s always the same hopes and dreams and they’re always dashed.”
His partner, Alexandra Webb, an Arsenal fan, was more confident. “This is our time,” she declared as she returned to the table with drinks, two England flags painted on her cheeks. “Italy’s such a strong team, but this time it’s all come together for England,” she said. “All these songs we’ve been singing for the last 40 years, we can finally stop singing them. It’s going to be out of this world!”
Clark had no idea what he would do if England were to actually win. “Look – I don’t cry, right. I’m a geezer. I didn’t cry when we had our babies. But if England win, I’m going to cry,” he said, head in hands once again. “The money I’ve spent and the emotional investment I’ve made watching England over the years – to have this one victory would be … indescribable.”
“If England wins, it’s going to be one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments that you’ll never, ever forget,” said their friend Nick. “I’m so nervous but also so happy this is happening, I don’t know what to do. It’s going to be one of those memories you still talk about when you’re 90 and tell your grandkids.”
Also eagerly awaiting kick-off were Issa Eaqash and Smith Oliver, who had met only moments before. When Oliver’s friend couldn’t make it at the last minute and he spotted Eaqash standing near the fan zone, deciding whether to head home to watch the match, he offered him his extra ticket.
“I’m so over the moon to be here and to be a part of it, I’m feeling very lucky,” said Eaqash, from Chad, about to buy Oliver a drink. “It’s going to be huge, whichever way it goes. It’s a part of history.”
Oliver, originally from Jamaica, added: “The experience, the vibe, it’s going to flow for ever because of England’s passion for football. It’s going to be historic. I did my good deed for the day, I helped someone, now I’d like a 2-1 England win.”
The crowd erupted when Luke Shaw put away the first goal of the match two minutes in, while fireworks were set off outside the fan zone, where supporters lined the walls and steps of the National Gallery. Even the pouring rain didn’t put a dent in the optimism and pride radiating from fans looking on in the square.
Hopes remained high from England’s early goal as darkness fell and the second half got under way. It quickly became clear, though, that the squad was on the back foot against Roberto Mancini’s reinvigorated Italian side. An equalising goal from Leonardo Bonucci sent shockwaves through the crowd, huddling in the shadow of Nelson’s column as the air turned cold.
But in the end, it came to a penalty shootout, where England’s advances in major tournaments have been felled time and time again. Almost 25 years to the day since Gareth Southgate’s miss saw England lose to Germany in the 1996 Euros semi-final at Wembley, his young lions stepped up to try to get it over the line.
Tensions reached fever pitch in the square as fans, hearts beating out of chests, watched and willed for history not to repeat itself. It was an agonising shootout, where victory at times still felt within grasp, but in the end a dire stroke of poetic injustice crushed their dreams once more.
Silence fell on Trafalgar Square. Some left immediately, others stood frozen in their shoes, in utter disbelief at how close it had been. It wasn’t the result England had spent weeks willing to materialise, instead it was something more heartbreakingly familiar.
Football wasn’t coming home, but there’s so much to be said for the fact that, for once, the nation actually believed it could. England may yet get another day in the sun as a side that wins major tournaments, but for now it’s one that dared us all to dream that it was possible, which is in itself a welcome break from the past.
