A NATION HELD its breath.
And now we can laugh.
Is that OK to say?
Can we look at a crestfallen Gareth Southgate in his sponsored Marks and Spencer attire and smile, cherishing this smart-casual defeat?
Rinse and repeat.
Give us more of these scenes of shrunken English pride, please.
In the build up to this 2-1 Euro 2024 final loss, one that could so easily have been by a margin of three or four goals after a frenetic second half in which Spain wasted a handful of chances but still scored twice, one of the examples cited for why the England manager is such a good person was the fact he wrote 5,000 words about former Middlesbrough teammate Alen Boksic with less than 12 hours notice for a chapter in a book.
Let’s hold out for the thesis on this rueful night in Berlin.
Southgate is undoubtedly a decent and respectful man, but so much of what still surrounds England is not.
All it took was to hear the boos from their fans as the Spanish national anthem was played before kick-off to be reminded of that.
England started slowly and relatively steady, keeping the tournament top scorers goalless at half time.
At the restart they gained further encouragement when Rodri – later awarded player of the competition – was forced off injured.
Rather than infuse them with positivity and energy it only served to deepen the sense of malaise that has characterised so much of England’s play over the last month.
Spain, on the other hand, ran riot.
By the end, after Mikel Oyarzabal got the near-post run on Marc Guehi and prodded home for a delightful 86th-minute winner, it was their fans ole-ing.
Are we mature enough as a nation – whatever that means – to laugh at England’s expense?
Is that not the definition of being Irish?
Slag those you care about and ignore those you don’t.
You might not get a reply from English friends and family at the moment.
Or you’ll probably be asked how Ireland got on in Germany. Or how to spell the new manager from Iceland’s name.
Is it OK to soak in Declan Rice’s tears and savour every single one of them?
The former Republic of Ireland international has look jaded, one-paced and lacking in many world-class attributes during this tournament.
Passing forwards for one.
He’d still be our best midfielder, of course.
He almost scored a stunning bullet header to send the game to extra-time but Unai Simón made a fine save and Dani Olmo made an even better clearance off the line from Guehi’s rebound.
It would have been the latest act of escapology given Spain had a host of second-half chances to make this an embarrassing night.
Harry Kane’s wait for a trophy of note in a career that has been filled with goals – and reinvention – goes on, and he remains the butt of the joke.
As are England today.
They will say this defeat was brave but thankfully it doesn’t matter.
They’re going home and the trophy is going to Spain.
Football belongs to us all and so does the brief joy of this result.
For now, let’s think of the St George’s flags that were shown on TV and savour some of their owners’ hungover trips home to places like Grimsby, Scunthorpe and Essex.
ITV have yet to put up the reaction of their pundits to the winning goal.
Maybe Roy Keane smiled at the outcome this time.
We all can today.
And tomorrow.
They may well be wiped from our faces when England land in Dublin on 7 September for the start of the Nations League, though.
That will be their first game since this 2-1 defeat and they will likely have a new manager.
Southgate has taken them to the final of the European Championships twice.
The first lost on penalties to Italy at Wembley, this one lost to a superior team with far more effective attacking players.
Lamine Yamal celebrated his 17th birthday this week by teeing up 22-year-old Nico Williams for the opener.
Both were the first to embrace Mikel Oyarzabal after he sealed victory.
England were bereft and beaten by the end.
Let’s hope it’s a hangover that lasts beyond their trip to Dublin on 7 September.
For all the bluster from Murphy, Wilkins was right in saying Murphy didn’t put his best hand forward against Bulls, and had this match in mind. Definitely a stronger Ulster line up. Some interesting choices for Connacht – Carty had a good first half last week, but faded out before being subbed last week. Think he still offers a lot, but probably Forde is the better bench option. Aki/POC midfield hasn’t been tried before, so I’m curious to see how that goes. Josh Murphy mostly played at lock two seasons ago, so probably makes sense for him to return there, albeit I do think back row is his more natural position. Still, should be a good match. Ulster will be desperate for a win at home, and have picked a really strong side, so they’ll be a very stern test. Match of the weekend
@JoeVlogs: match of the weekend? 82.5k people beg to differ!!!
@Kevin: As in this match could go either way, and the recent history of the tie is that usually the home side win it, but only just. Looking at the Leinster v Munster sides, despite Leo insisting on selecting two tens on the bench, it is still Leinster’s to lose. Don’t get me wrong, I’d still want to attend it if I was in Dublin – Croke Park, world cup winners, internationals, etc. But as a contest goes, I expect a tighter, more exciting game from the later match.
@Kevin: well in fairness this game should be close and competitive. The other game has a strong likelihood of Leinster running out big winners. Hopefully not and it’s competitive too
@JoeVlogs: that’s fair enough alright. The game should be a cracker too.
@JoeVlogs: yeah Josh is an absolutely savage 6
Thought Cordero was very poor at full back against the Scarlets! For me he looks like an out and out winger! I’m surprised Mack isn’t the one being tried there as his style would be more suited, we could do with more options there internationally too! Interested to see how Paul Boyle goes, at times he looks like the best ball carrier in Ireland. but has rarely been picked to start in the past 2 years right when he was banging on the Irish door!
@Attacki Acki: Agree, I’d nearly put O Connor on the wing and Hansen to full back with Forde in midfield. Send Cordero packing. Boyle was unfortunate with injuries, but on his day he’s probably strongest ball carrying backrow on the island.
@Ray Ridge: not even the best 8 on the pitch Saturday. Timoney will outplay him in every facet. As for the best 8 the future lions captain is that
Hard place to go, would never bet against Ulster at Ravenhill. Connacht have only won twice (not double checked that) in the last 10 years. Team looks decent tho, may be the best shot they’ve had in a while.
@Thesaltyurchin: Three times including the Rainbow Cup. Not just 10 years though. It’s about 75.
How Cordero continues to be selected is beyond me, considering he hasn’t completed a tackle in the opening 3 games of the season. Not even offering a whole lot in an attacking sense either to make up for it. Hopefully he will manage to catch the ball this weekend without dropping it and nail a few tackles. Not much between the sides otherwise, maybe home advantage will be the difference.
@Ray Ridge: I would genuinely love it if he had a stormer tomorrow for no reason other than for you to be shown up for the clown that you are.
@Patrick Kennedy: I’d love it too, but he’ll have to improve quite a bit on the evidence of the first 3 games.
@Ray Ridge: he missed a whole season through injury. give the lad a break.
@Niall English: Ah Stop, a professional Rugby player out for a few months is no excuse for not being able to catch the ball and make a simple tackle. He’s being back long enough now. I’m expecting a much improved performance from this guy otherwise……. See more
@Ray Ridge: A few months? He played one game last season after doing his ACL. Ignorance on show again, well done
@Patrick Kennedy: yes he was out for a few months, besides you don’t catch the ball with your ACL. He’s had a long pre-season and 3 URC games. Long enough to be able catch a ball and make a tackle. The time for excuses is over.
@Ray Ridge: So August to June is “a few months”? Last time I checked it was 11 months.
@Patrick Kennedy: End of August to middle of May is around 9 months.
@Ray Ridge: Did his ACL during preseason at the beginning of August, played his first game the end of May. But don’t let facts get in the way of your nonsense.
@Patrick Kennedy: The 22nd of August is not the beginning of August and the 18th of May is not the end of May. Besides that’s not the point. The point is he should still be able to catch the ball. I haven’t been on a bicycle for about 20 years but I can still bloody cycle.
Another mouth watering game to look forward to