ENGLAND’S triumph over Denmark in the Euro 2020 semi final dominated the comment sections of the newspapers.
The Daily Mail
Robert Hardman said he couldn’t see the pitch for cartwheeling flag-waving delirium when he watched the match from the Blue Check Bar near Wembley.
“Drinks flew through the air. Strangers hugged Covid-blasé strangers…The Danish own goal was the cue for utter bedlam. There are moments when one can be grateful for Covid restrictions. Had this place been any fuller, there might have been injuries.”
He said the whole affair – from mid-afternoon to late last night – was the least Covid-conscious scene he had witnessed since the pandemic began.
“The stadium capacity was 20,000 below normal, but this was still the biggest mass gathering on British soil since the word ‘lockdown’ entered the dictionary. And that was not including the fans packing the surrounding streets of North London without a ticket. It was all very irresponsible, of course, but the police held back, keen to keep the mood good-natured – which it was.”
The Guardian
Simon Harttenstone said it was as if the past 16 months simply hadn’t happened, and ‘’we were back in 2020 living the dream’.
“There has been something fabulously uplifting about the tournament that goes well beyond England’s success,” he said. “This has been a championship in which football has rediscovered its sense of fun, beauty and solidarity.”
He said that after decades of seeing players get rich quick and keeping stumm in the face of social injustice, here is a generation of footballers with values.
“In an era when our politicians have shown themselves to be inept, amoral and hypocritical, these young men have proved to be genuine role models for us all. Regardless of whether the team win or lose on Sunday, this is something we – and they – should be proud of.”
The Independent
The paper’s leader column said it was a somewhat homely local Premier League affair, an average Wednesday night with Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) just getting the better of Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City).
“Were it not for Raheem Sterling forcing a rapid equaliser through Simon Kjaer’s own goal, Kane wouldn’t have got his chance,” it said.
“The win had its rough edges, but England has been on the wrong side of those in the past. Portugal, France, Germany, Spain, and, indeed, Denmark didn’t quite make it.
“Ronaldo, Torres, De Bruyne, Lukaku, Mbappe... all gone home. England made it, albeit with some luck, which hasn’t always been the case. They might even beat an equally uneven Italian side.”
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