Italian job

I managed to walk in the front door after the flight back from Heathrow just in time for the penalties 😫

I followed the game on BA’s WiFi. We’ve seen it ourselves but there is such a thing as scoring too early tempting England into sitting deep and trying to close the game out with an age on the clock. Italy were always too good for that.

To be ahead with the crowd behind you was an opportunity missed, but we certainly sounded up against it from about the half-hour mark, yet we made it through extra-time, and then the lottery of the penalties. Pickford did superbly but Donnarumma went one better. A heartbreaking way to end a final, let alone a match.

To soon and sore to talk about the future, but this young team and their admirable manager have given the entire country a massive lift over this past month. They won our hearts and minds, and no one expected a final, and that is what they delivered and faced one of the best team’s in the the world and took them to a last kick.

I don’t want to say there is hope for the future, because previous generations of English players have failed to deliver hope. This young team can do better than that and deliver silverware and importantly more national joy and togetherness.