Southgate, England eye end to long wait for Euros glory
Gareth Southgate, England's manager, said he does not believe fate is steering the Three Lions to Euro 2024 triumph, but he hopes to break a 58-year wait for a major tournament victory in Sunday's final against Spain.Three years after losing the Euro 2020 final on home soil to Italy, Southgate's players have another chance to become European champions for the first time in Berlin.
England has struggled on their way to the final, requiring a succession of late goals, comebacks, and a penalty shootout against Switzerland in the quarterfinals.
"I'm not a believer in fairy tales, but I do believe in dreams," Southgate remarked during his pre-match press conference on Saturday.
"We've had tremendous aspirations; we've felt the need and importance of them, but you have to make them a reality.
"Fate, the run that we've had, the late goals, the penalties, that doesn't equate to it being our moment, we have to make it happen tomorrow and perform at the level that we need to perform."
Southgate has converted England from perennial underachievers to regular competitors in big championships.
In his four World Cups or Euros, England has reached one quarter-final, one semi-final, and two finals, including their first ever on foreign territory.
Southgate did admit, however, that they needed to go a step further to achieve global appreciation for their gradual but steady growth.
"I've travelled to World Cups, European Championships watching as an observer and watched highlights before the matches that were on the big screens and we weren't in any of them because you only show the finals and you only show the big games," according to him.
"So, we needed to change that. We had big expectations, but they did not meet our performance level.
"High expectations remain, but we have delivered consistent performances in three of the last four events.
"A lot of records have been broken, but we know in the end we have to do this one and get this trophy.
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