Whether “football’s coming home” is as unpredictable as ever.
But in England, watching this weekend as its men’s national soccer team comes within touching distance of glory, the dreaming and dreading seem less anguished this time around.
Three years ago, in the deadly grip of the coronavirus pandemic and the acrid wake of Brexit, England suffered a heartbreaking loss to Italy, on penalty kicks, in the final of the European championships in London.
England’s run through that Covid-delayed tournament had lifted a country that badly needed it.
The team’s unofficial anthem, “Three Lions,” swelled in pubs and living rooms across the country, offering the hope, however far-fetched, that after five decades of tournament disappointments and 14 months of lockdowns, “football’s coming home,” as the lyrics of the song go.
Persons:
“, ”, “ football’s
Organizations:
national soccer, Lions
Locations:
England, Brexit, Italy, London