Newspaper headlines: 'Finally!' say papers after England's thrilling win
By BBC News
Staff
- Published
"Historic" is often an overused word - and it is put through its paces this morning.
"England make history" is the simple headline for the Times, above an image of the captain Harry Kane celebrating the extra time goal that put England into their first final since 1966.
Opting for an image of his fellow players piling on top of him in celebration, the Daily Telegraph calls the team "the history boys".
Online, the Independent takes a similar approach, describing the victorious team as the "history makers".
But the Sun is a little more cautious, suggesting that "now only Italy stand between Gareth Southgate's brave squad and a place in the history books".
Parodying the advertising campaign of a well-known brand of Danish beer, the Sun suggests that Kane was experiencing "probably the best feeling in the world".
"It was never really in doubt, was it?" the paper wonders, before acknowledging: "Well, maybe a bit."
A number of papers opt for the headline "Final-ly" - as a nod to how long it's taken England to reach a major men's football final.
One of them, the Daily Mirror, also suggests that now that Harry and his heroes have beaten the Danes, they have to match the England immortals of 1966.
The front page of the Metro pictures what it calls the "roar emotion" of the Three Lions skipper.
"England's time has come," adds the Daily Express, which says the "absolutely glorious win" has lifted the nation.
"Kane you believe it?" asks the Daily Mail, beneath an image of the captain, punching the air in triumph.
"Beers, cheers and tears - of delight," it says, as it shows fans partying into the night. England are now just "one game from glory," it enthuses.
Describing its paper as a "souvenir edition," the Daily Star suggests readers might want to buy two copies as England might not get to another final for 55 years.
"Is this the greatest dream ever?" it asks. For the i newspaper, it was "fairytale football".
As the Mirror points out, "they think it's all over - but there's one game to come".
Sports writer Jonathan Liew in the Guardian looks ahead to Sunday's final, describing it as "the chance to scratch English sport's last great itch", noting that "the child who watched England winning the World Cup in 1966 is now a pensioner".
He continues that "there's something surreal about all this joy and elation taking place in a nation stalked by division and disease," concluding: "But here, now, under dark skies and bright lights, England made us happy."
The Danish papers appear to have taken the result with good grace.
"The Danes looked like the second best team on the pitch," acknowledges Politiken's Soren Lissner, who was at Wembley.
He was among 8,000 Danes already in the UK who were able to attend the match, and he writes that listening to tens of thousands of England fans singing God Save The Queen made it feel like they were surrounded by all 55 million people in England.
The Danish tabloid, BT, says that "only a miracle save by Kasper Schmeichel and heroic defensive performances" helped Denmark force the match to extra time.
The Mail has been looking at how the Italian media are sizing up their opponents.
It says the sports paper Corriere dello Sport argues that Gareth Southgate needed the help of the referee - who awarded the crucial penalty - to reach the final.
Another Italian paper, La Repubblica takes a similar approach, saying the only mistake in last night's game was made by the referee in awarding the penalty. It says Raheem Sterling's dive cast a shadow on the legitimacy of the team's success.
And if you're picking up your daily paper in Scotland, the result may pass you by. A single line at the bottom of the front page of the Scottish Daily Mail tells readers they'll have to turn to page seven for details.
Federer out
On any other day, the top sports story might have been the shock defeat of the eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer in the quarter finals.
The Telegraph says he's considering his future after suffering his heaviest loss in the tournament.
The Guardian says the legend was humbled by Poland's Hubert Hurkacz. "Roger and out," says the Independent.
Beyond sport, the Daily Telegraph says that fully vaccinated holidaymakers might not have to quarantine when they return from amber list countries from as early as the 19 July - but they will have to pay for PCR Covid tests.
According to the paper, the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will say that even children will have to take a test on the second day after their return, because the system will help to identify the risk of new variants being imported.
The Telegraph's cartoonist Matt brings the two stories together. Beneath an image of England fans, celebrating in the fountains at Trafalgar Square, he writes: "Football's coming home - but it will have to quarantine and take two PCR tests..."
The Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said it's reckless and foolish for Boris Johnson to use the Good Friday agreement to shore up his own party's advantage.
Writing in the Times, he argues that Mr Johnson personally negotiated the Northern Ireland Protocol - which put trade barriers in the Irish Sea after Brexit - so he has a personal responsibility to make it work.
Failure to do that, he warns, risks the stability of the peace process.
And finally, the people of Denmark might be upset about the football, but the Guardian has a story they can celebrate.
It says Guinness World Records has just confirmed that a 21m-high sand-castle, in the village of Blokhus in North Jutland, is the tallest sandcastle ever built. See for yourself in our video.