England fans are left heartbroken as their half-century wait for a major title goes on. Video / NZ Herald
OPINION:
When England last made the final of a major football championship, there were no substitutes permitted during a game.
Unlike today, there was no possibility of second-half tactical switches, and any injuries meant that teams were forced to play a man short.
It was 1966, and the rule regardingreplacements wouldn't be brought in for another few years.
A season ticket for that World Cup in England, which included the final, a semifinal and a quarter-final cost £25.75, or as little as £3.87 for a spot on the terraces.
Queen Elizabeth II had been reigning monarch for 15 years, while the oldest player on the England team (Ray Wilson) was on a basic wage of £60 a week at Everton.
It was truly another world.
If you want to understand why England's presence in the European Championship final has been so widely celebrated, it's because most of their fans have been waiting a lifetime to see the "Three Lions" in another decider.
Back in 1966, in the days of a 16-team Fifa World Cup, England had a tough path.
They faced Uruguay (0-0), Mexico (2-0) and France (2-0) in group play, then Argentina (1-0) in the quarter-final.
England then edged past Portugal (2-1) – who featured Eusebio, one of the greatest players of all time – before the extra time defeat of Franz Beckenbauer's West Germany (4-2) in the final.
At 5.15pm on Saturday July 30, 1966, England were world champions. There was a function that night at a Kensington hotel, before the players returned to their homes and families the following day.
The 1966 triumph was meant to be the start of a golden era, but success was fleeting.
Four years later in Mexico England lost at the quarter-final stage, beaten 3-2 by West Germany after leading 2-0 at one point.
That was the cue for a dark decade, as England missed qualifying for the next two World Cups (1974 and 1978) before being bested by the Germans again in 1982.
During the 1986 World Cup, I missed some afternoon classes at Avondale Intermediate to watch England's games with a London-born friend.
As Bobby Robson's side gained momentum, he was convinced England were the best team in Mexico and crushed when they were eliminated by Argentina, partly thanks to Diego Maradona's "hand of God".
At Italia '90 England were one of the major contenders, unfortunate to lose to a ruthless German team on penalties in the semifinal.
They missed qualifying in bizarre circumstances for the 1994 World Cup, then suffered one of the most heartbreaking home defeats in sporting history at the 1996 European Championships.
After reaching the last four, they were the better side for most of the semifinal against Germany – contriving to miss some golden opportunities in extra time – before losing a penalty shootout in front of 75,000 fans at Wembley.
In the intervening years there has been a catalogue of painful defeats.
There were shootout exits in 1998 (to Argentina), 2004 (Portugal), 2006 (Portugal) and 2012 (Italy), a group stage to loss to unheralded Romania in 2000 and a costly goalkeeping howler in South Africa in 2010.
In 2016 England emerged unbeaten out of group play, before being stunned by a resolute Iceland team in the second round.
It's sporting pain on a level Kiwis can't begin to understand; not even the All Blacks' 24-year wait between Rugby World Cups comes close, as rugby's comparatively small field of nations means New Zealand were always hovering near the top table, not locked out for nearly half a century.
That's why, whatever happens in the final against Italy, England fans will always remember the summer of 2021, when football finally came home.
