Euro 2020: England fly in face of recent history as chance beckons to join heroes of 1966

Gareth Southgate's side take on Italy at Wembley on Sunday aiming to end a 55-year wait for a trophy

Fans arrive at Wembley stadium ahead of the Euros football final between England and Italy.

Fans arrive at Wembley stadium ahead of the Euros football final between England and Italy.

Fans arrive at Wembley stadium ahead of the Euros football final between England and Italy.

Fans arrive at Wembley stadium ahead of the Euros football final between England and Italy.

Fans arrive at Wembley stadium ahead of the Euros football final between England and Italy.

Fans arrive at Wembley stadium ahead of the Euros football final between England and Italy.

Fans arrive at Wembley stadium ahead of the Euros football final between England and Italy.

Fans arrive at Wembley stadium ahead of the Euros football final between England and Italy.

Fans arrive at Wembley stadium ahead of the Euros football final between England and Italy.

Fans arrive at Wembley stadium ahead of the Euros football final between England and Italy.

Fans arrive at Wembley stadium ahead of the Euros football final between England and Italy.

Fans arrive at Wembley stadium ahead of the Euros football final between England and Italy.

Fans arrive at Wembley stadium ahead of the Euros football final between England and Italy.

Fans arrive at Wembley stadium ahead of the Euros football final between England and Italy.

Fans arrive at Wembley stadium ahead of the Euros football final between England and Italy.

Fans arrive at Wembley stadium ahead of the Euros football final between England and Italy.

Fans arrive at Wembley stadium ahead of the Euros football final between England and Italy.

England fans with flares gather outside Wembley stadium ahead of the Euro 2020 final against Italy.

England fans gather outside Wembley stadium ahead of the Euro 2020 final against Italy.

England fans on top of a bus outside Wembley stadium ahead of the Euro 2020 final against Italy.

England fans gather outside Wembley stadium ahead of the Euro 2020 final against Italy.

England fans with flares gather outside Wembley stadium ahead of the Euro 2020 final against Italy.

England and Italy flags outside Wembley.

England fans with flares gather outside Wembley stadium ahead of the Euro 2020 final against Italy.

England fans gather outside Wembley stadium ahead of the Euro 2020 final against Italy.

England fans on top of a bus outside Wembley stadium ahead of the Euro 2020 final against Italy.

England fans on top of a bus outside Wembley stadium.

England fans with flares gather outside Wembley stadium ahead of the Euro 2020 final against Italy.

England fans outside Wembley stadium.

England fans with flares gather outside Wembley stadium ahead of the Euro 2020 final against Italy.

England fans on outside Wembley stadium.

Geoff Hurst’s shot striking the underside of the bar and, rather than trying to put the rebound in, Roger Hunt jumping up in celebration. Bobby Moore stroking a pass forward from his half to release Hurst to clinch victory, to the soundtrack of the most famous phrase of Kenneth Wolstenholme’s life. The ever immaculate Moore wiping his hands on his shorts to remove any flecks of dirt before receiving the trophy from the Queen.

The images of England’s World Cup win are still indelible. With every failure, they have remained unique as 1966 has been cemented as England’s most famous year, and not merely in a sporting context, since 1945. There have been World Cup wins since, in rugby union in 2003 and cricket in 2019, but not in the national sport or the global sport.

And if a European Championships does not quite have the same resonance, there is nevertheless the sense that England could complete their most seismic sporting feat for 55 years on Sunday night.

Thus far, England have done well at blocking out the context, ignoring the national longing, leaving others to get carried away as they have treated each game as it comes. Now they are down to that last game, to Italy, to a meeting of sides each looking to cap a remarkable rise from an ignominious low, whether England’s defeat to Iceland in Euro 2016 or the Azzurri’s inability to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. For England, the challenge is to find a way to overcome a team unbeaten in 33 matches.

Do so and they may join the class of 1966 on a pedestal. It feels surreal, though as Hurst pointed out, normality beckoned for them. Many had to get ‘proper’ jobs after football; the only man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final worked in insurance. The financial rewards of the modern game protect Gareth Southgate’s players from a similar future, but the inability of subsequent teams to emulate Alf Ramsey’s charges has only elevated their standing since.

Southgate’s side have flown in the face of England’s recent history. They have ended England’s reputation as, at best, a quarter-final team, eliminated their historic nemeses Germany, gone one better than in the 2018 World Cup and the 2019 Nations League.

England v Denmark - player ratings from Euro 2020 semi-final

There have been none of the traditional problems, of disharmony in the camp forged by club cliques, of selecting unfit players who underperformed, of everyone seeming to welcome the release of a tournament ending. Instead of the usual national tragicomedy, the familiar sense of hubris and underachievement, comes the sensation that everything has gone oddly well.

There are no injuries, no suspensions, no seemingly unhappy players. Rather than searching for scapegoats, England have a diverse, likeable group who represent the best of the country today and who, in their various charitable efforts, have given much back. Southgate has been satisfied with progress while not being content with a semi-final appearance, nor even a spot in the final.

His dilemmas are the right sort. He will probably begin with a back four, but using wing-backs worked against Germany. He will probably persevere with Bukayo Saka in attack but Phil Foden’s cameo against Denmark and Jadon Sancho’s start against Ukraine illustrated the calibre of the options. Jack Grealish took the indignity of being the substitute who was substituted well in the semi-final. Kieran Trippier and Jordan Henderson seem content with their roles as ‘finishers’, experienced figures who can hold on to a lead.

Planning has paid off. And now someone could become the 21st-century Hurst. Much as the team try and ignore the consequences, 55 years of Hurst never stopped the country from dreaming they would.