In the opinion of England's national soccer coach Gareth Southgate, memories of war played a role in the victory in the European Championship round of 16 against Germany at Wembley Stadium.
“People also tried to invade us and we had the courage to defend ourselves against it.
You can't hide the fact that the energy in the stadium against Germany partly came from this, "said the 50-year-old at the Three Lions European Championship base camp in Burton upon Trent.
The English had defeated the DFB selection in the round of 16 with 2-0 and thus for the first time in 55 years in a knockout game of a major tournament. "I never mentioned it to the players, but I know it played a role," Southgate said, referring to war memories.
Before the European Championship final on Sunday (9 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the European Football Championship, on ZDF and MagentaTV) against Italy, the coach also appealed generally to the national pride of his compatriots. “We have so much to be proud of. For an island our size, we have an incredible impact on the world and we need to maintain that in a positive way, ”said Southgate. He now wants to finish the tournament with the title. "Because I know that it won't be enough for me and the rest of the support staff and the players if we don't win this now."
Attacker Phil Foden meanwhile missed the final training of the English national soccer team before the European Championship final. The 21-year-old from the English champions Manchester City had to sit out on Saturday because he received a light blow, as the English association FA announced. It is unclear whether Foden will also be out for the final on Sunday. With the exception of the offensive player, all players took part in the session of coach Southgate in the European Championship base camp of the Three Lions in Burton upon Trent. Then the team wanted to make their way to London.
Italy's national team set out on Saturday morning. In a good mood and in bright sunshine, the team around captain Giorgio Chiellini and national coach Roberto Mancini boarded the team bus at the Azzurri EM quarters. Then it should go by charter plane from Florence to London, where the team's final training and press conference are due on Saturday. Italy will play in the final against England for their second European Championship title after 1968. The team flew back to Florence from London after the semi-final victory against Spain on Tuesday to prepare for the final there.
The English association FA, meanwhile, got away with a rather mild penalty after the misconduct of some fans in the semifinals against Denmark. The European Football Union UEFA imposed a fine of 30,000 euros on Saturday. The use of a laser pointer by spectators, interference by fans while the Danish national anthem was being played and fireworks were all punished.
It was still unclear what the results of the British police investigation would be. The British Secretary of State Susan Williams announced this in Parliament in London on Thursday. She described the incident in which Denmark's goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was shone in the face with a green laser pointer during a penalty kick in the semifinals last Wednesday as "hideous". Incidents with the anthems had already occurred in previous games. Before England's round of 16 against Germany, whistles and boos were heard during the anthems.