Thank you very much for joining me for another exciting day of build to THE BIG ONE. I will leave you with today’s mirthtastic Euros Daily. Rodri needs a rest. |One method for reducing the need for penalties might be to reward teams that win outright to progress if they play against teams that did need penalties to make it through (like Spain v France or Netherlands v England). If these games were drawn at 120 mins, then the team that got there without penalties would progress,” suggests Laurence Lily. “This would incentivise teams to avoid penalties unless absolutely necessary. And put the games where the rule applies on a knife edge. I don’t think teams holding the advantage would play for a draw, knowing one goal knocks them out. “Thoughts?” It would constantly favour the better teams rather than those hard to beat outfits, making it tricky to justify, I would argue. Trent Alexander-Arnold feels it would be a “crime” if England allowed any doubts to creep in as they prepare for Sunday’s Euro 2024 final against Spain. “Our mentality cannot change,” Alexander-Arnold said on Lions’ Den. “You have got to be ruthless in every single game you play, in training, in and around the place. To get this far you have to be elite in every department, which we have been. We have found our rhythm now within the team on the pitch in the games at a good time as well. “As the saying goes, it is not how you start, it is how you finish. We are finishing this tournament well and hopefully we go out even better on Sunday. To even have any doubts going into a final is a crime in my opinion. “No matter what journey you have, who you play or whatever people say, to reach the final of this competition is an outstanding achievement - to go and win it would be even better. “Our mindset is we go and we play to win. It is a one-off game, finals always come down to who wants to win it more, who is willing to do that little bit extra. We believe that we can win. You have got to have that belief. “We know it will be a very, very tough test, arguably (against) the best team in the competition in the way that they played, but you don’t just get to a final by luck - you get there through grinding through games, winning games.” I am not saying the game has gone but … “Microbiology professor Markus Egert holds a so-called “bacteria oracle” in a petri dish, predicting that Spain wins the Euros final between England and Spain at his laboratory in Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany. The oracle is supposed to predict the outcome of the upcoming Euro 2024 games by the amount of bacteria colonies gathering in each team’s box.” Sid Lowe on Alvaro Morata. The worst tackle Álvaro Morata has suffered at the Euros came from his own team. At the end of the semi-final as Spain celebrated, a fan leapt on to the pitch in search of a selfie. When he set off, so did José Santos, the security guard who travels everywhere with them. Slipping, he accidentally went in two-footed, a big man with a beard and bulging biceps crashing into the striker; Morata’s knee twisted inwards, leaving him limping. An ice pack was applied and for a moment there was a fear that he could even miss Sunday’s final. Especially for Santos. “I like Gregory Phillips’ suggestion of deciding drawn games by the number of shots on target but it isn’t that outrageous a suggestion,” says Pete Tomlin. “In the 1920s there was a brief experiment where the team that had won the greater number of corners during the game was awarded the tie if it ended in a draw. “Can you imagine if that was still the case? VAR would have to get involved with every corner award & players would be celebrating winning one as if they’d scored! You’d also have some teams playing for corners by deliberately trying to play the ball off an opponent.” I personally think the game needs more VAR interventions. Jonathan Freedland on Gareth Southgate It’s just a game, right? Wrong. You don’t have to be on nodding terms with, let alone a fan of, the beautiful game to see that Sunday’s final of the European Championships – and the fact that England are in it – has a significance that goes beyond sport. It has implications for all the things that usually preoccupy us on these pages: politics, culture wars, race, masculinity, identity and our national story – and, unusually, most of those implications are good. Our good friends at Opta (the delightful Ali Tweedale) has a plan to beat Spain. Luka Modric might be upset about not getting too far at the Euros, but it has allowed him to get to one big sporting event today. Gregory Phillips has been in touch to say: “Decide drawn games by the number of shots on target. Instead of playing for penalties, teams would have an incentive to come forward and bombard the opposition goal, generating more late winners and also reducing the need for a tiebreaker in the first place.” Rick Harris says: “I note the debate about scrapping extra time and suggest that we could go back to the original system used to resolve deadlock at the European Championships – flipping a coin. Italy got past the Soviet Union in the 1968 tournament and won the final, and Liverpool won a coin toss to get past Cologne in the 1965 European Cup quarter final. “I think once you get to a final you stick with extra time because there are often moments of drama in that extra half hour even if they often cancel each other out and it goes to penalties. The extra sub available on top of the five already allowed in normal time means that the midfield and forward players who generally do the most running can be refreshed, and if you go straight to penalties if favours teams who park the bus and hope to beat a better opponent in the lottery of spot kicks.” Watkins: “Trippier did a good speech after we presented him with a board to celebrate 50 caps. He said the last Euros he played one group game and didn’t play until the quarters and then the final. He said we all had to be ready because you never know when your time will come and you will need to be ready when it does.” Watkins: “One of my friends years ago told me he thought I was going to score in the Euros final but I did it in the semi, so it’s a game early. I believe that if you believe something truly and deeply that it can come true.” Watkins on Lamine Yamal: “I definitely wasn’t preparing for a final. He is an unbelievable talent, everyone has seen what he can do. He is a generational talent; it’s not often you are scoring goals against France into the top corner. He is miles ahead of me at 16, 17. “With all the hype of playing for Barcelona and Spain, I feel you need a good group of people around you to keep you grounded. “Kobbie is a young player but he does not act his agent on the pitch, he is confident on the pitch and demands the ball. He plays with a certain aura and confidence about him.” Watkins on late wins: “As much as it makes it more exciting, I feel personally we don’t care how we win as long as we the ball goes off the pitch and we win the game.” Watkins: “I can’t remember the first England game I watched but I can remember not too long ago when I was in a pub with my best mate. I was watching an England game in a cheap goalkeeper shirt from Sainsbury’s, that was a good memory of being a fan and enjoying the moment. It is crazy to think I am here and played such a big part in getting us to the final. It’s a bit surreal.” Ollie Watkins is facing the media. “It’s been an unbelievable. feeling. I was taken back by the goal but I was not shocked I did that because I have full believe in myself. I manifested it, I’d worked very hard to get to this point. “I have that fire in my belly and I am ready for when I am called upon. “Dean Henderson said he thinks it was the best moment of his career and he didn’t even score the goal.” Harry Kane on Sunday night? The fans are out in force. Roger Kirkby: “I was 9 years old when we actually won something of note. Later on in life I asked a guy who would have been about 20 in 1966 what it was like that day. He said he watched the game at home, then him and his mates met in the pub about 7. “Was it a rip-roaring night out from then on?” I asked him, Nah he said we left the pub at half nine to go home to watch the replay on match of the day. No need for a bank holiday then.” A true pro. We have a few threads today. One being: should we keep extra time? “The golden goal thing was awful and should be consigned to the great skip of bad ideas,” says Philip Jacobs. “I wouldn’t personally be unhappy if they got rid of extra time but there’s got to be a better way of deciding a match than via penalties. I hate penalties. Maybe they could count offside goals or something.” In other news … I got a call from my dentist earlier to ask whether I will attend on Monday morning at 9am because they fear there will be no-shows on account of the Sunday night soccer. I am suspicious the hygienist does not fancy being there so early. “The ticket was face value,” says Mark. “Oval Test on Saturday 2009. Had not been for seven years and in that time they had stopped letting drink in and we had to dispense with some rather expensive bottles of wine. It’s a tough life but not as dull as the Fosters or the South African wine they served up at the ground. Trott made a hundred and Broad looked like a good late order batsman, so some consolation. Regarding beyond face value, not sure I ever have, that’s what Television is for right? “As to the football I think it’s close. England can do it but will need to pull socks up just a little bit more. They have improved, Foden beginning to show and Mainoo just getting better. Saka and Stones outstanding but you just expect that of them don’t you? Mainoo v Rhodri might just be where it’s won. As to the 4 or 3 I’m not sure. Gut says give them a wing back to track back for rather than a full back to run at.” What will be the abiding memory of England fans at this tournament? It’s a difficult one to answer. The size of the support has varied and the mood has been different too. There’s been delirium at times and despondency at others. There’s been a ubiquitous echo of “Dancing In The Dark” in the streets before games and, increasingly, a chorus of “Please don’t take me home” afterwards. Perhaps it will be something more tangential that sticks, such as the stream of St George’s flags on the banks of the Rhine in Düsseldorf or the trams in Cologne stuffed to bursting and rattling like tambourines to the beat of “Ing-er-land” bashed out on the roofs. Paul MacInnes on the month in Germany for England fans. Goodbye Sergio, we hardly knew ye. The natural way of getting in the mood for Sunday. For those wondering, the other options for Sunday night on TV include Titanic on Channel 4, The Great Storm of ‘87 on C5 and Vera on ITV3. The natural way of getting in the mood for Sunday. For those wondering, the other options for Sunday night on TV include Titanic on Channel 4, The Great Storm of ‘87 on C5 and Vera on ITV3. I feel inspired for the final. “Hi Will,” hi Simon McMahon. “A bit of reverse psychology from Des Brown? I wouldn’t make Spain strong favourites, more of a 50-50 game for me. I don’t think it would be a major surprise if either side won, which hopefully will make for an exciting game. But then again, as a Scotland and Dundee United fan, what I know about winning major finals you could write on the back of a fag packet. Sometimes it feels like they should be paying me to watch them.” We better discuss the big tactical talking points ahead of Sunday. Should England change to a back four to combat the Spanish wing threat? Should Shaw or Trippier start? Kane or Watkins? THESE ARE THE BIG QUESTIONS! Ben emails: “I don’t have a “fire” song contribution to make but having seen the mention of Arthur Brown, I can report that he happens to have been a friend of my parents, and my primary memory involving him is that, when I was a kid, we (including Arthur) all went to the cinema to watch Forest Gump. This is of very little relevance to the Euros I appreciate but I’ll throw in a “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get” quote. With this said, we are quite likely to get a Spain win (hopefully not though).” Marina Hyde on the big one. Just as the long buildup to Christmas can be infinitely more joyful and infinitely less stressful than the day itself, so this is a weekend to be intensely savoured before the inevitable tip over into mindless something-or-other when the whistle blows for the end of play on Sunday night. Des Brown offers positivity: “Though Spain are the strong favourites on Sunday, here’s a stat for the England fans. England have played Spain 4 times in the European Championships - twice in 1968, then again in 1980 and 1996. England won every game.” Do send in your expensive sporting occasions. What is the most you have spent on attending and was it worth it? Good afternoon! Needless to say, I am very much here for niche Basque chat. And with that, Will Unwin prepares to slide into the chair. He’ll be your guide and friend through the afternoon. Bye. More fire song talk, from Rick Harris: The key to lighting England’s fire is not Phil Foden – he is more fuel able to burn brightly – but fire starters like Kobbie Mainoo and Cole Palmer. I suggest England fans channel their inner Jim Morrison and repurpose the Doors’ ‘Light my Fire’. You know that it would be untrue You know that I would be a liar If I were to say to you England cannot get much higher Kobbie Mainoo light the fire Kobbie Mainoo light the fire Try to set the team on fire Decent effort, Keith. Now, anyone want to get to work on the Crazy World of Arthur Brown’s signature tune? Our Madrid correspondent, Sam Jones, has been taking the temperature in Spain, and how their team have exceeded expectations and finally stepped out of the shadows of their all-conquering 2008-12 side: Spain’s big problem is that it’s been looking at itself in the mirror of 2008-2012 and trying to be the same team, trying to play like that team and trying to win like that team. But it hasn’t worked because that team was unique,” said Lara. “You had Xavi, Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, Torres, Villa, Casillas, that was a unique generation … [But] I think it’s managed to move past those comparisons now and to play a different way. A couple of differing views on binning extra time, and Martin Gamage isn’t keen: “Extra time? I can see the thinking behind binning it but with so many substitutes now allowed that certainly helps with player fatigue. On balance though, I think I would retain it. I like the way the tension of the match can ratchet up as the end of normal time approaches and then, again, as extra time starts, and the way that the pauses can change the flow of the game. Knock out international football can get pretty absurd in various ways towards the end of games, through extra time and the drama of penalties. I like it - so I’d keep it.” And a more creative solution from Julian Evans: Personally I don’t want to see it dropped entirely but limit it to 5 minutes or at most 10 minutes each way. Half an hour is too long, especially when many games are going like nearly 100 minutes with extra time. All sorts of mini-battles on the pitch await us in Sunday’s final. One might be Rodri v Foden, the Manchester City teammates. Jamie Jackson, who’s watched the pair more than most, profiles them. The Euro 2024 final can be cast as a showdown between two playmakers of England and Spain who differ in styles and can each write the story of which nation will end as the continent’s champion on Sunday. Phil Foden is the firefly maestro of the half-turn who drifts between the front and midfield lines to prompt and trigger England’s attacking play. Rodri is a deeper-lying metronome who initiates Spain forays from near to the rearguard and then pads forward to continue knitting the team pattern. In 2016, Northern Ireland’s fans spent a couple of weeks singing about Will Grigg being on fire, even though the striker didn’t really do anything; this year, England’s have adapted another song to describe Phil Foden similarly – and he hadn’t really done anything either, until Wednesday when he was excellent. Anyway, here’s Daniel Boffey on the anatomy of England’s Boss-amended chant: A spot of transfer news: Manchester City’s women have signed the Japanese defender Risa Shimizu has joined Manchester City on a three-year deal, confirms PA Media. The 28-year-old moves to last season’s Women’s Super League runners-up from West Ham, where she made 44 appearances across two seasons, scoring one goal. Shimizu, who will wear the No 2 shirt, has 78 Japan caps to her name and will join City in Australia for the inaugural Perth International Football Cup after representing her national side at the Olympics in Paris. As many as 35,000 England fans are expected to experience history on Sunday night and be in attendance as England play Spain for the title of men’s European Champions at Berlin’s Olympiastadion. The estimation is that, while England’s official allocation is capped at 10k, many of the tickets on general sale will be snapped up by Three Lions supporters, who will take their place inside the ground alongside the customary extensive retinue of Uefa dignitaries and corporate sponsors. More on the Spanish identity debate, from Unai Peñalba: Being Basque myself, I’d like to comment on what Dani Vivian said. Personally, I will be cheering for England come Sunday, as I’ve always cheered for whoever the Spanish national team was playing against. Nonetheless, I can’t but admit that the change in scenery during my lifetime in that regard has been extraordinary. In 2008, you’d find absolutely no one publicly celebrating the Spanish victory. I can’t even imagine how it was in the 80’s and the 90’s (I wasn’t born). As much as it pains me to see people cheering on Spain, I think it’s very positive that people can be free to cheer for whoever they want, as it’s clearly a sign of how far we’ve gone forward as a society in the Basque Country during this time, leaving terrorism behind. I’ve a close mate who’s always supported the Spanish national team. Now he gets to wear the kit and an armband in the streets, the bugger. We always hold a bet on tournaments, and, as I don’t have a proper team to support, I always bet for England, as I’m also a Tottenham fan. It’ll be a special final for us. The UK’s football policing chief says instances of fans being covered in alcohol at Euro 2024 matches underline why drinking in the stands should remain banned in this country, reports PA Media. Chief Constable Mark Roberts issued an extremely positive update on fan behaviour at the Euros so far heading into England’s appearance in Sunday’s final in Berlin. He said there had been 66 arrests out of the estimated 200,000 fans who have travelled out to Germany at some stage during the tournament to date. However, he noted there had been “numerous examples” of fans of all nations getting soaked by alcoholic drinks, which have been available to buy within stadiums and drink in the stands in Germany. Roberts opposed a recommendation in the 2021 fan-led review for a pilot at League Two and National League level allowing the sale of alcohol for consumption within sight of the pitch, and said on Friday: “We have seen numerous examples of fans, family members and officials being covered by alcohol during matches, which has reiterated our stance that drinking in the stands shouldn’t be allowed at matches in the UK. “Currently fans (in the UK) can enjoy a drink before the game and, if they wish, at half-time in the concourse, which is a sensible balance for everyone.” I don’t always agree with Roberts but I think I do here. I enjoy a half-time pint but the prospect of having to stand up every five minutes during games as others make their way to the bar, and of returning home drenched in beer every Saturday is not an alluring one. And my team doesn’t even score that much. Thanks Yara. Afternoon everyone, and we’ve just had word that man of the moment Ollie Watkins is the player England will put up for this afternoon’s media chinwag. Stay tuned. That’s all from me today. Thanks so much for joining me! Tom Davies is here to take you through the early afternoon news and buildup. Taking your lunch soon? How about a listen to our Football Daily podcast. The panel discuss Gareth Southgate’s substitutions. Already listened to it? Than turn your ears to today’s Today in Focus. Barney Ronay tells Hannah Moore why this final is such a momentous moment for Southgate. Already listened to it? Than turn your ears to today’s Today in Focus. Barney Ronay tells Hannah Moore why this final is such a momentous moment for Southgate. Uefa have dropped the tie-breakers for the golden boot award. Currently, six players have scored three goals at Euro 2024, and under the old rules, if none of those players added to their tally than Dani Olmo would have won the award, as he is the player with the most assists. However, if there is a tie, the award will be shared this year. So if neither Harry Kane or Olmo scores on Sunday, then there will be six winners, with the Netherlands’ Cody Gakpo, Germany’s Jamal Musiala, Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze and Slovakia’s Ivan Schranz also on three goals. The race to be as comfortable and as well-fed for Sunday’s final is well and truly on for England supporters. Retailers and pubs are scrambling to meet fans’ demand for everything from beer, burgers and replica shirts. High street retailers including Tesco and Marks & Spencer expect food and drink sales to rocket between now and Sunday as hosts stock up for barbecues and viewing parties. Fans who prefer a pub atmosphere have rushed to book seats at venues showing the game. In the moments after Ollie Watkins scored the winner on Wednesday evening, the number of reservations processed by the bookings website DesignMyNight soared to 16 a second, compared with the normal rate of 1.4. Fanatics, the company behind the official UEFA and England online stores, said it had sold more team merchandise for Euro 2024 than any other major tournament. Semi-final day had been the biggest in sales terms, and Jude Bellingham was the top-selling player, it said. The race to be as comfortable and as well-fed for Sunday’s final is well and truly on for England supporters. Retailers and pubs are scrambling to meet fans’ demand for everything from beer, burgers and replica shirts. High street retailers including Tesco and Marks & Spencer expect food and drink sales to rocket between now and Sunday as hosts stock up for barbecues and viewing parties. Fans who prefer a pub atmosphere have rushed to book seats at venues showing the game. In the moments after Ollie Watkins scored the winner on Wednesday evening, the number of reservations processed by the bookings website DesignMyNight soared to 16 a second, compared with the normal rate of 1.4. Fanatics, the company behind the official UEFA and England online stores, said it had sold more team merchandise for Euro 2024 than any other major tournament. Semi-final day had been the biggest in sales terms, and Jude Bellingham was the top-selling player, it said. Spain have found new support in the Basque Country after their stellar performances in Germany. Speaking to Sid Lowe, Dani Vivian explains that the 800,000 from the Basque Country that watched the semi-final victory over France is due to both the demographic and the way Spain are playing. There are nine Basque players in the national team. And beyond any ideology that anyone can have, what there is there is a passion for football. In the Basque Country people value good football very highly and that is what we are playing. Read more here on Vivian’s assessment of England and why he thinks Rodri should already be a Ballon d’Or winner. Five of the 14 knockout matches at Euro 2024 have got to added extra-time. Copa América, on the other hand, have binned the concept completely. Is it an element of tournament football that is still needed? Is it better for the players? Ryan Baldi writes: The aim of the format is to guard against player fatigue – with many of the stars on show having recently completed long and arduous seasons at club level – and to protect the quality of football at the tournament. This year’s competition has been baked in heat, and dropping extra-time has helped preserve players (and fans) from 30-minutes of lethargic play, heading instead straight to the drama of a shootout. The idea of scrapping with extra time to claw some minutes back has gained at least one influential supporter in Europe. “In a demanding tournament like the Euro, perhaps extra time could be abolished,” Luis de la Fuente, the head coach of the Euro 2024 finalists Spain told reporters in Germany, saying that extra time should be in place only for the semi-finals and final. What are your thoughts? Is extra-time needed any more? Would we have an Spain v England final if Euro 2024 went straight to penalties? Should we bring the golden goal? Let me know via email, which you can find at the top of this blog. There, of course, is no Euro 2024 action today but that does not mean you can’t catch any football. The Lionesses (who won their own Euros in 2022) take on the Republic of Ireland in tonight’s women’s Euro 2025 qualifiers in Norwich. Sarina Wiegman’s side are third in their group behind France and Sweden with seven points. That leaves them having to take part in the playoffs rather than qualify for the finals right away. The take on Eileen Gleeson’s side, who have yet to win a game in their group. Carrow Road will welcome back Lauren Hemp with open arms. For Hemp, from North Walsham in rural Norfolk, half an hour north of Norwich, moving to Bristol City to pursue her career was brave but by that stage the England technical staff had long been monitoring her development. For the Football Association’s women’s technical director, Kay Cossington, who worked as a national coach with the England girls’ youth teams from 2005 to 2016 and selected Hemp for the Under-15s almost a decade ago, being made aware of such a prospect was unforgettable. Cole Palmer says it is time for England to “finish the job” against Spain. The Chelsea player helped the Three Lions reach the final by assisting the winning goal against the Dutch. Obviously it’s a short turnaround and it’s a massive, massive game to change our lives, our family’s lives, and to make everyone proud. That’s what we’re trying to do. I think if you’ve got this final then you have to hopefully finish the job. It’s all good getting to the final, and you’ve got to enjoy it because you don’t get many moments to enjoy. But everyone just wants to win so bad. We played [Spain] last year in the Under-21s final, England versus Spain. Even that was a massive game, so I can’t imagine this one! Majority of England fans have been "extremely well behaved" in Germany The vast majority of the travelling England fans have been well behaved, said the UK Football Policing Unit. Mark Roberts, the chief constable at the National Lead for Football Policing, said: “We estimate there have been about 200,000 visitor trips to Germany so far in the tournament, and the vast majority of the travelling England fans have been extremely well behaved. “Almost all of those who have travelled have had tickets for matches, and England fans have filled at least half of the stadium capacity at each venue the team has played. “It’s been fantastic to see so many fans enjoying the football and supporting England all the way to the final. We have seen a small number of instances of disorder which has resulted in 66 arrests. These incidents have been swiftly dealt with by the German police with the support of UK officers. “We have also seen numerous examples of fans, family members and officials being covered by alcohol during matches, which has reiterated our stance that drinking in the stands shouldn’t be allowed at matches in the UK. Currently fans can enjoy a drink before the game and, if they wish, at half-time in the concourse, which is a sensible balance for everyone. “The overall good behaviour of fans has been reflected at home, and we have seen a reduction in the number of football related incidents across the UK in comparison to the last few international tournaments. “We are all now very much looking forward to the final, and hopefully seeing England lift the trophy on Sunday evening. If you are in Germany have a good time, but please remember to drink responsibly, respect the local culture and don’t put yourself in danger.” Spain love the centre stage. The national men’s side have won their last three major tournament finals. Euro 2008: Germany 0-1 Spain – Torres 33’ In the 33rd minute Xavi eased a through-ball which Philipp Lahm was well placed to deal with, but the swift Torres first moved outside the left-back and then inside him to flip a finish meticulously over the advancing Jens Lehmann and into the far corner of the net. “Lahm was in a better position but for a moment he relaxed and I took advantage,” said the scorer, who had hit the post with a header 10 minutes earlier. World Cup 2010: Netherlands 0-1 Spain (aet) – Iniesta 116’ The mayhem and nastiness of the occasion were encumbrances for Spain, who would have envisaged a wholly different type of game. It was potentially unsettling that this victory in the World Cup could be seen as their destiny considering that they had never even reached the final before. Vicente del Bosque’s side, for that matter, have developed a highly individual style founded on exceptional technique that exhausts and demoralises opponents as a midfield of supreme artistry confiscates the ball. Euro 2012: Spain 4-0 Italy – Silva 14’, Alba 41’, Torres 84’, Mata 88’ La Roja played with style and panache. They had the night’s outstanding performer in Andrés Iniesta and another, Xavi, occupying the same tier of uncommon brilliance. Then consider the contribution of Xabi Alonso, Silva and Cesc Fàbregas. Del Bosque’s lineup, with no recognised striker, might not appeal to the Eurosauruses out there but the simple truth is the Spanish are too refined, too devoted to the art of possession, to change for anyone. Del Bosque had listened to the criticism, all that stuff about it being a negative tactic, and decided not to budge an inch, and who can blame him? Our Editorial board’s view is that Gareth Southgate has led the charge for change. England have move on from nostalgic pretensions of greatness to a patriotism rooted in equality and self-expression. Without immigration, only three of the England team’s current players would remain in the starting XI. The journey to the summit this year cannot be anything other than a celebration of difference. Yet when diversity is related to something successful, it is a sign of the nation’s genius in permitting and managing it; when it is attached to a national disaster, diversity is the reason for the failure. The allyship found within the England team is a rebuttal of such thinking. Camaraderie has been encouraged by the manager, Gareth Southgate, who has prized the power of empathy and loyalty. The Three Lions exist as a symbol that welds together a people. This tournament has produced something different, something great from Southgate’s England. Jude Bellingham’s bicycle kick in the dying seconds of added time against Slovakia united rival homegrown India and Pakistan cricket team fans in joy. James Graham, who is updating his hit play about Southgate’s reign for TV and stage, may get the fairytale ending he has longed for. Interpretations can be overdone of what an English victory – or loss – this weekend could mean. But after a near decade of hardening social divides, Southgate’s team present an opportunity to come together around a hopeful vision of a new England. I posed some questions earlier on the most you have ever spent attending a sporting event and the longest you’ve spent celebrated and whether both were worth it. Here are your responses: Lucky Krishna writes: I was in Madrid in February 2011 on a business trip. The hotel receptionist offered me a ticket