A win would have been nice. Well, better than nice, he admitted. It would have reset the clock on the years of hurt since the last major trophy for the men's team (it will be 60 now by the time of the next World Cup) and elevated new heroes alongside Bobby Moore, the Charlton brothers and Geoff Hurst.
But in England's 2-1 loss to Spain, there was some gain for the 50,000 England supporters in Berlin. "For me, giving the kids this experience is the most important thing," said Gardner of his sons, Jacob, 14, and Elliot, 12.
Chris Dempster, 44, from Darlington, had not even considered defeat to Spain, but he was sanguine. "I said when he was born that we could come to a final," said Dempster of his son Frankie, 12. "Getting here is what matters." After England's winning performance against the Dutch in the semis, the two families had launched themselves on a road trip from the north-east of England on Friday evening to arrive in Berlin, weatherworn but in good time for kick-off. "They'll remember it," said Gardner.
Denne historien er fra July 15, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
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Denne historien er fra July 15, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
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Tielemans leads Villa triumph at Young Boys in flying start
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Konaté and Van Dijk head Liverpool home after early Milan scare
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Pressure on Secret Service after Trump 'assassination attempt'
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First image of doomed Titan after implosion
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Spain's green Socialist gets top European Commission role as leader sets out plans
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