For about two minutes of delirium as I danced around the room, jubilant 7 yr old on my back, at the sight of Trippier's free kick ripple the back of the net, the dream was on. This was really happening....
It didn't last long. It was about 3 minutes later that the texts of "we've scored too early" were being exchanged, and the gut wrenching began. The brutal nature of tournament football will always play with the mind - the missed chances - Kane from 3 inches out (sorry Harry, in this new VAR world, you can't hide behind the offside flag on that one!), the "if only"s are always going to be there - as the margins are so slim, simply the fact we held out for so long and there was only 22 minutes to go.... However, in the cold light of day, it all played out how it should. The team that included the world class players, who have more Champions League winners medals than Gareth has outfits beat the young inexperienced team who had already over-achieved. Simples.
No more breadsticks. No more waistcoats. The magic run is over, crushed by a superior cast of Bond villains, (Exhibit A) who just refused to die and also turned out to be quite good at football. Perisic was superb, exposing all of Ashley Young's limitations (be thankful it wasn't Mbappe doing this). Mandzukic demonstrated the clinical finishing needed at this level. Rakitic and Modric gradually controlled the midfield in the way we precisely thought they might.
Unfortunately, the English players wilted in the pressure. They suddenly felt like the inexperienced team they were, the easy passes looked hard, the indecision started to sneak in and the belief of the team visually faded as we slipped into the long ball practices that would have had Sam spilling his pint of wine in excitement.
But that's OK. It was a great ride. And even as the batteries were running out in extra time, I was struck with the genuine feeling of hope that we would hold out for penalties. Let that one sink in. Usually the thought of death from 12 yards to an Englishman is about as appealing as a state visit by Trump. A great illustration of how the team these past few weeks has changed the mindset, of both players and fans alike.
History should be kind to them, they've created a legacy of hope and new heroes. My Ronaldo obsessed 7 yr old just threw himself bravely to the floor tonight in the park to deny his brother a certain goal, only to pop up immediately and execute a beautifully controlled Pickford fist pump! Lovely. The nonsense of an easy draw should fade - we don't look back fondly at 1990 by dwelling on squeaking out of the group by thrashing Egypt 1-0 thanks to a Mark Wright header from a set piece (to be followed by extra time wins versus Belgium - before they were good - and Cameroon). Similarly, kudos to Croatia. The only team that has been playing tournament football for a month and found a way to win EVERY game they have played. Impressive.
As for the other semi-final, while a slightly different kind of game, I'm fairly sure Belgium have the same regrets England do on their first half lack of a killer finish. In the quarters I laid the blame on Cavani's cheekbones smouldering on the bench for French progress. But I think that didn't give the French enough credit. Kante has been awesome, as has Varane. They closed down the considerable threat from Belgium with impressive ease. Strong favourites for Sunday.
I do have to agree with Birchy. I'm excited to see Mbappe leave his mark on the final. If his mark is debunking the theory put forward by a modest Dejan Lovren that Dejan Lovren is the best defender in the world, I'm more than ok with that. The fact that I took the 33/1 available for the teenager to win the Golden Ball, may also be an influence. I do need to pay for that 2026 RV rental deposit somehow.
Before that we are subjected to the second reserve team game between England and Belgium, a bizarre twist of the fixtures. It's taken me 48 hours to get over the disappointment of Wednesday to purely write about it, I can't imagine how they pick each other up to actually play a game. Here's hoping it's entertaining and our expectations are surpassed just one more time....
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