Commentators trot out a lot of nonsense. Like, a lot. A staggering, astounding, mind-blowing amount of nonsense. The England’s 2-1 semi-final win over Demark yesterday was littered with an even larger amount than usual – comparing this, that and another thing to Euro 96, mainly.
One of the most prominent species of this nonsense – second only to the trotting out of inane statistics – is records. Whenever there’s a bit of a lull in a game, commentators love to spout records. These too, usually, are irreverent nonsense with next to no bearing on on-pitch events.
Today, though, they came out with a really good one after Denmark took the lead through Mikkel Damsgaard’s superb free kick. The goal, the first the English had conceded in the tournament, ended a run of six-and-a-bit straight games without conceding for Jordan Pickford. That run of clean sheets was, the commentators told us, the longest ever by an England goalkeeper.
By five minutes.
The record had, until five minutes before Damsgaard’s goal, been held by Gordon Banks, widely considered to be England’s greatest-ever goalkeeper. And that run, too, had been ended by a set-piece in the semi-final of a major tournament. In that case it was a penalty by the legendary Portuguese striker, Eusebio, in the 1966 World Cup semi-final halted the streak.
England won that game 2-1 and went on to lift the trophy.
England beat Denmark 2-1 yesterday.
So: England’s only two semi-final victories ever at major tournaments have been by two goals to one, after a set piece broke a keeper’s record-setting run of clean sheets.
Oh, and it’s also 25 years since the English heartbreak of Euro 96, where they were knocked out in the semi-final on penalties. Not 24 years, as it would have been had the Euros been held last year as planned, but an even quarter-century. The man who missed the decisive spot-kick that day? Gareth Southgate. The man who has, as manager, now led England to their second-ever final.
It seems to me that things are coming full circle.
