Sunday could mark Gareth Southgate’s best moment as England manager, but joins plenty of others since he picked the Three Lions up following the doldrums of losing to Iceland eight years ago.
Southgate inherited a side in the doldrums after losing to Iceland at Euro 2016, which had not won a knock-out game in a decade, a penalty shoot-out in two and had just sacked their manager after one match.
Things were at a low ebb and looked like staying that way when Southgate, at first a caretaker appointment, could only muster a 0-0 draw in Slovenia in World Cup 2018 qualifying before he needed a last-gasp Harry Kane effort to avoid an embarrassing defeat in Scotland.
Things began to click later in 2017, and another seven years on the England boss will lead his country into a second final on Sunday against France, more than any other Three Lions boss.
Here’s Sky Sports’ top 10 moments of the Southgate era to date – with potentially a new entry sitting at No 1 come Monday morning. Vote for your favourite below to get involved.
1. Luke Shaw’s goal vs Italy, Euro 2020 final
Forget the hindsight of what followed. The (almost) end of Covid restrictions, England in their first final in a generation and then taking the lead with some fans still finding their seats and just one minute and 56 seconds on the clock against Italy.
It was the quickest goal in European Championship finals history and it felt too good to be true – which, ultimately, it was.
But for that moment, England had the joy of thinking they were going all the way, and after one heck of a 16 months leading up to the game, it meant something extra.
2. Harry Kane seals victory vs Germany, Euro 2020 last 16
England came into the Euro 2020 last-16 tie with Germany with the biggest question mark over their credentials since Southgate took over.
Getting to the semi-finals of World Cup 2018 had been an achievement, but they had still not beaten a major player in an international tournament since seeing off their old foes at Euro 2000 – and even that wasn’t much to write home about.
England were stoic for long periods, unspectacular but solid and showed their growing maturity as they wore down their visitors before late goals from Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane saw them through.
Even after Sterling’s opener, it wasn’t until Kane, who had not scored all tournament to that point, turned in the second with four minutes to go that England fans could finally relax.
He called it a moment of “joy and pure elation” – try being in the stands, Harry.
3. Ollie Watkins’ winner vs Netherlands, Euro 2024 semi-finals
In terms of all-round performances, this game would top the lot. England came from behind, dug in and won a game against a historically strong opponent through Southgate’s in-game management.
If it was Southgate’s progress report, he would’ve had it ticked off on the spot. But the most special moment was the manner of the victory – the quality of Ollie Watkins’ goal, the timing of it, the limbs, so beautifully poised at 89:59.
With a second to spare, it could not have encapsulated England’s heart-stopping run through the knock outs any better.
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He’s done it before! Watch Ollie Watkins net his Dutch winner twice last season…
Had England not made us all take semi-finals for granted by now, this might be higher on the list. If anything, Clive, Gareth’s done too well.
4. Eric Dier breaks England’s penalty hoodoo vs Colombia, World Cup 2018 last 16
When Colombia equalised in the dying embers of England’s last-16 tie at World Cup 2018, the same old familiar worries came flooding back.
These were meant to be the glory days – we’d already stuck six, SIX, past Panama, and now despite the extra half hour in front of us, felt certain to go out on penalties. Again. It’s the hope that kills you.
But then something very strange happened. England scored four of their five penalties… and Colombia missed two of theirs.
The FA task-force set up ahead of the tournament, plus Gareth Southgate’s use of psychologist Pippa Grange, had succeeded where England had failed six out of the previous seven times, and each of the last five all the way back to Euro ’96.
Then again, winning goalscorer Eric Dier didn’t even know he was going to be taking a penalty until the end of extra time, so maybe there was a touch of good fortune too.
“At the time, I don’t really know what I was thinking about,” Dier later admitted. “While you’re waiting to take it, it’s nerve-wracking but, once I walked up, when I was going to take it, I was quite calm.”
Once he did hit the back of the net, the players’ faces told the story of just how alien this felt. Fans back home could barely believe it. They should probably write a play about it or something.
5. Jude Bellingham’s heroics vs Slovakia, Euro 2024 last 16
The knives were out and inches from Southgate’s back. The reports had already been written – including by this journalist – questioning how he could possibly stay in the job after exiting Euro 2024 to a side ranked 45th in the world and without a single shot on target.
And then, 86 seconds from time, Jude Bellingham ripped up every single one of them with the goal of his life. He was lucky to still be on the pitch by then given he’d been booked, looked leggy and in the mood to chop down the nearest Slovakia defender at any moment.
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Watch the scenes as Jude Bellingham grabbed a late equaliser vs Slovakia with an overhead kick!
But Southgate’s persistence and stubbornness not to change things was the right one. It still doesn’t feel it, even now, but it worked. And what a moment.
You can question whether he actually believed England had a goal in them given the 94 minutes he’d just watched, but you can’t question him thinking that leaving Bellingham on was worth a shot.
6. Kieran Trippier’s free-kick vs Croatia, World Cup 2018 semi-final
Oddly, considering this goal left England on the verge of their first World Cup final in 52 years, it doesn’t feel quite as significant as that Colombia shoot-out, for instance. Perhaps it’s knowing what happened in the rest of that game and what happened three years later.
Even so, what a moment Kieran Trippier picked to score his first and still to this day only England goal, with only their fourth free-kick goal at a tournament in history.
It was a peach of a strike from the then-Tottenham defender too and England could, and should, have built on it before the break. But they didn’t, and maybe that’s why this is No 6. Sorry Kieran.
7. England defy racist chanting vs Hungary, World Cup 2022 qualifying
Perhaps the manner with which England rose above racist chanting and booing of taking the knee in a crucial World Cup qualifier in Hungary in 2021 summed up how Southgate has supported and empowered his players.
Sterling and Bellingham were particularly targeted by the home crowd inside the Puskas Arena but the former got England on their way with the first of the four second-half goals which sealed a comfortable victory, with their manager very much having their back.
“We try to take a right stand, we knew taking the knee would get an adverse reaction and anything of that nature is unacceptable,” Southgate later said.
8. Trent Alexander-Arnold seals perfect shoot-out vs Switzerland, Euro 2024 quarter-final
Is England’s penalty hoodoo ever really over? It’ll take more than a win over Colombia and another against Switzerland in the Nations League to calm those flashbacks, especially after the Euro 2020 final.
So there was still plenty of trepidation when England went all the way against the Swiss last weekend, but it didn’t last long. Manuel Akanji missed his opening spot kick for Switzerland while England scored all five of theirs, with Trent Alexander-Arnold’s fifth the most emphatic. What were we ever worried about?
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Penalty takers, tactics leaks and being streetwise – watch the best of Gareth Southgate’s press conference after beating Switzerland
Southgate has stepped up the psychological methods he uses with his players around shoot-outs since that Italy defeat, and you can read more about that right here.
9. Harry Kane’s winner vs Tunisia, World Cup 2018 group stages
There had been some encouraging build-up to England’s first tournament under Southgate, a novel 3-5-2 formation trialled to relative success and fresh-faced John Stones, Harry Maguire and Jordan Pickford made a central part of the Three Lions’ spine.
But why do we let ourselves believe? With the clock ticking into injury time of England’s first group game in Russia, Tunisia were holding their own and England looked set to start off with another false dawn.
They should’ve paid more attention to Alan Russell, England’s set-piece coach whose techniques played a part in nine of their 12 goals at the tournament.
Up popped Harry Kane at the back post, the pints went flying and the rest was history.
10. Raheem Sterling’s redemption vs Spain, Nations League 2018/19
Perhaps more of a match than a moment but this is the 10th entry at this point. Remember the reception Raheem Sterling received on England’s way through World Cup 2018?
It seems like a world ago when you consider the rise he had after that, which all started one night in Seville a few months after the tournament.
England had ditched the 3-5-2 which had very much reached the end of its shelf-life and played with a back four in Spain, and took their game to the inventors of tiki-taka with a powerful display of counter-attacking football, led by Mr Sterling himself.
He ended a run of 27 international games without a goal with a double, including a stunning opener inside 16 minutes.
It showed how much more England had to give, and especially the true value of Sterling.
