It’s been an epic 55 years since England last reached a major tournament final.But even as the Three Lions teetered on the brink of ending that dismal record at an ear-splitting Wembley last night – passing the ball around depleted Denmark players sporting faces as red as their shirts – everyone seemed to be talking about another number: 16.
The commentators, pundits, family, friends, social media. Everyone was bringing up ’16’.
“These past 16 months” they kept saying. “We needed this after these past 16 months”.
True, the wait to see England book a spot in a final has been wearisome, stressful and even a little embarrassing. But it’s been absolutely nothing compared to what the nation has had to go through since March 2020.
The whole country – even those who can take or leave football at the best of times – needed a reason to cheer and scream and shout with joy.
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On Wednesday evening, Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions gave us exactly that – coming from behind to beat Denmark 2-1 after extra-time with a winner from Harry Kane.
After a nightmarish 16 months, it was the stuff of dreams. England are in the Euro 2020 final.
Watched in village pub. We haven’t all been together for 16 months and we’ve all doggedly sat through the Euros together in the marquee. Tears and beers spilt at the end. Football unites like nothing else. #Euros2021
16 months of hell and I’m watching England go through to the final of the Euros and the squad singing Sweet Caroline to their own fans at Wembley. My heart can’t take it
If you’ve ever stayed in New York City, you’ll know all too well that the first night is a restless one.
They call it the ‘city that never sleeps’ and this becomes clear from the moment you put your head against the pillow – with car horns blaring, honking and squawking way beyond sunset.
Manchester has often doubled for NYC in movie shoots over the past few years – but last night it began to mirror New York sonically, as motorists hammered their steering wheels over and over again to mark England’s win, swerving around the pedestrians clogging up the roadways.
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Even with extra-time pushing the game beyond ‘bedtime’, it didn’t feel like many people in Manc were ready to go to sleep. And it was like that right across the country. Indeed, for many, Sunday is too long to wait until the next game.
There’s real belief – as the thousands of late-night renditions of Skinner & Baddiel’s classic testified – that football is definitely coming home.
Even the MPs are getting involved – with some talking about pushing for an impromptu Bank Holiday on Monday if England lift the cup.
Now, there’s the little matter of Italy in the final.
This isn’t just a footballing nation that historically knows how to win things. It’s a team who have beaten Turkey, Switzerland, Austria, Wales, Belgium and Spain already in this tournament. They’re frighteningly good opposition.
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But no need to worry about that just now, anyway.
For the time being, simply sit back and soak it in. Revel in the fact that England are going to the Euro 2020 final. Ignore the fact that it’s actually 2021. Ignore that you worried Southgate wasn’t up to the job only two weeks ago. Ignore that you were questioning Sterling being in the starting lineups. Ignore that you have to work today.
Just bathe in the bliss for a moment.
As they all keep saying, it’s been a tough 16 months.
Sport
Manchester set to host five UEFA EURO 2028 matches – including England’s opening game
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been confirmed to be the host of five matches at the upcoming UEFA EURO tournament in 2028.
This also, crucially, would include England‘s opening match, should they qualify directly.
The joint announcement by Manchester City and Manchester City Council today comes as UEFA has now released key details about the UK & Ireland 2028 competition – which, as it stands, is less than 1,000 days away.
It has been confirmed that the Etihad Stadium – which is known as The City of Manchester Stadium when not relating to Manchester City football club – will host four Group Stage matches across four different groups, offering both local and international football fans the chance to see a range of different national teams in action.
On top of this, Manchester will also be the host a Round of 16 knockout match as the tournament progresses.
UEFA EURO 2028 will kick off at the National Stadium of Wales in Cardiff on Friday 9 June 2028, culminating in the Final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 9 July 2028.
Across the UK and Ireland, nine stadiums will host matches during the upcoming tournament – with other northern stadiums including Everton Stadium in Liverpool, and St James’ Park over in Newcastle.
More than three million tickets – as sold by UEFA – are set to be available for the tournament, and more information on this will be issued in due course.
Following an independent assessment, UEFA EURO 2028 is expected to generate up to £3.6 billion in socio-economic benefits for the UK and Ireland between 2028 and 2031, with benefits including job creation, regional growth, and direct spending from international visitors.
The countdown has started in Manchester for #EURO2028!
Five matches are scheduled to be played here – including England's opener if they qualify – and more than 300,000 fans will be welcomed to the city in June 2028.
“We’re a city where football runs deep in our DNA, and we’re counting down the days to UEFA Euro 2028.”
Featured Image – The Manc Group
Sport
Man City to open latest Greater Manchester club shop at Trafford Centre
Danny Jones
Manchester City Football Club are set to open another brand-new store at the Trafford Centre, and just in time for Christmas.
With the festive period approaching, plenty of people will be looking to buy the latest shirts and merch of their beloved team, and with the Blues now a bigger brand than ever, they’ve put plenty of time into levelling up the club shop experience.
Their third in Greater Manchester, all told, it’s also set to be one of their largest to date.
Credit: The Manc Group
Although confirmation of the plans came back in October, City have officially announced themselves in the Trafford Centre this month.
With the hoardings going up over on Peel Avenue – the section of the huge mall arguably most well-known for its multi-storey John Lewis department store – they’ll be opening their doors just next to the branch of Waterstones.
In fact, you definitely can’t miss it because not only is there a giant MCFC badge plastered over the windows, but it also happens to be right next to the big Christmas tree.
This comes after sports and streetwear franchises like Gymshark and Urban Outfitters joined the North West tourist attraction, not to mention the massive Zara and Bershka sites that opened recently, as well as other global names like Pop Mart.
An idea of what the new Man City store in the Trafford Centre could look like, based on the Arndale shop. (Credit: The Manc)
Put simply, there’s been plenty of new arrivals this year, and there are several others to come.
Although we’ve not got an exact opening date just yet, the posters displayed across the window simply read “Coming November”, so Cityzens won’t have to wait long.
Furthermore, job vacancies for retail roles working within the upcoming location are already listed on the official Trafford Centre careers page.
Last but not least, there are scheduled be a number of other new openings in the shopping arcade, leisure and entertainment destination, so keep your eyes peeled on socials for more info soon.
The Manc -
8th July 2021 
