‘History’: England are delighted to beat Denmark 2-1 in the Euro semi-finals on Wednesday night. The nation’s newspapers compete for excellence.
The Three Lions will play their first major tournament final in 55 years against Italy at Wembley on Sunday.
With the notable exception of financial daily The Financial Times, the feat made headlines on Thursday. ‘England makes history’, headlines The Times, 55 years after England’s victory at the 1966 World Cup, the only title won by selection, and years of disappointment.
The Sun tabloid talks about what is ‘probably the best spirit in the world’, thanks to the slogan for the Danish beer Carlsberg. For the Daily Star tabloid, it’s the ‘biggest dream ever’. The Guardian also believes that England is in the middle of a ‘dream’.
Many newspapers like the Daily Mirror and the Daily Express run on the words ‘finally’ and ‘finally’. The Daily Mail goes into ecstasy by kidnapping the name of Captain Harry Kane, who offered a winning goal by turning a controversial penalty into two steps: ‘Kane (instead of Cain) do you believe it?’ (beyond belief).
boris johnson in uniform
The praise is appropriate in the political camp as well. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who donned the English side’s white jersey at Wembley on Wednesday night, tweeted a ‘great performance from Gareth Southgate’s team’, calling for the trophy to be brought ‘home’.
On Sky News channel, his finance minister sees it as ‘a glorious moment for the country’ which reminds us ‘what was life like before coronavirus’.
Fans waving their nation’s red and white flags celebrated the victory of thousands on the streets of England, in defiance of anti-Covid rules, despite a rebound in contamination due to the Delta variant. Some even climbed onto the roof of a red double-decker bus in London.
good for the economy
It ‘unites’ the country, minister Rishi Sunak added on the BBC, and benefits the economy. The pub was thus allowed to remain open longer on Sundays, so as not to frustrate fans in the event of extra time or penalties.
According to Politico, the victory over Italy could see the government stripping English coach Gareth Southgate and several players from the Order of the British Empire (MBE) title.
The tone is much less cheerful in Scotland, a British province marked by a tendency towards independence and eliminated from the group stage. For the Scottish version of the Suns, the final has only been reached thanks to ‘controversial penalties’.
/ATS
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