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To think, Roberto Mancini was worried about a lack of support here inside Wembley, as if fearing an occasion sedated by the neutrality of the crowd.
The Italy boss had decried travel and ticketing restrictions as ‘unfair’. The only unjust element of this enthralling contest was the partisan presence of his many thousand countrymen, and boy did his side need that backing to overcome Spanish opponents who gave them their toughest test yet.
London’s transport - or rather, La Linea Metropolitana - was a sea of blue, if not an ocean of calm, in the hours before kick-off. You knew then there would be nothing sedate about this occasion.
Roberto Mancini was worried about a lack of Italian support inside Wembley on Tuesday night
And so it proved. If the Football Association want to build a case for hosting future tournaments, then get those who were here to speak on your behalf as opposed to the usual cast of dignitaries.
Yes, England’s matches have not wanted for noise and colour either, but those have been home fixtures.
This, rather, allowed us to indulge in the tournament football about which we romanticise - and feared we might not see this summer - two powerhouse nations doing battle on a foreign field in front of a crowd of ferocity and fervour,