SUNDAY’S match was wonderful for the first 45 minutes.
That’s the view of Carole Williams, landlady at The Queen’s Head, in Wokingham.
Crowds flocked to the borough’s pubs in anticipation of England bringing football home in the Euro 2020 final.
The home nation saw off Denmark last Wednesday evening to set up Sunday’s showdown with Italy.
Although Shaw gave England an early lead, Italy responded with an equaliser, taking the game first to extra time and then to a tense penalty shoot-out, which didn’t quite go the Wembley way, denying Gareth Southgate’s men their first tournament trophy since the 1966 World Cup victory.
Anticipation built up before the 8pm kick-out, Ms Williams said, with punters coming in for a drink before the big game.
“The excitement was mounting all day,” she said.
Across the road, Hattie Gutzman, landlady at The Hope and Anchor said she was fully-booked as soon as England reached the semi-finals.
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Many punters kept the same table throughout the tournament, building a “football family” at the pub, Ms Gutzman said.
“It felt like a day out at the pub again.”
With drinkers decked in England shirts and face paint, the day had a community spirit unlike anything Ms Gutzman and her bar staff had seen for a while.
But as the game went on, the mood quietened.
The plus side of not winning was an earlier night for Ms Williams.
“Everyone was so disappointed,” she said. “It was such a downer, but at least
I didn’t have to throw anyone out.
“They all left quickly — I just shut the door and went to bed.”
But Ms Gutzman believes a big win could be around the corner.
“It was a momentous day just to get to the finals,” she added. “This is the best England team we have had in a long time.”
With the World Cup approaching next year, she said football may well come home for “the big one”.
