England in Euro 2020 final: 'England rode their luck, but Southgate captured the mood'
England manager Gareth Southgate was the model of restraint and calm until he reached the vast bank of supporters gathered at one end of Wembley belting out their new anthem Sweet Caroline with glorious, noisy abandon.
"Football's coming home" bounced off the walls of Wembley at deafening decibel levels. It is not coming home yet but England will be back in their own house against Italy on Sunday with the best chance since 1966 of making it happen. It may have been the added excitement of so many England fans being able to watch their heroes in the flesh again after so long but there was a buzz and noise an hour before kick-off that never let up until long after final whistle, and the songs of celebration had been replaced by the hum of lawn-mowers in readiness for Sunday's final.
Neil Diamond's unlikely singalong has assumed such a status among England fans it was the last song played before the emergence of the teams and the roars barely dimmed, even when Southgate's side fell behind.