England vs Spain World Cup final: Bull-doggedness vs Artistry
The Mexicans defenders are backpedalling in half-hope and half-dread. Bobby Charlton is galloping forward, free and uninhibited, from the centre circle, in acres of space, in the blink of an eye. He shimmies and feints, drifts to the right and pauses momentarily at the perfect spot where he could unpack the fury of his right foot. He cracks a screamer that zips and swerves past the goalkeeper. It’s not the most iconic goal in the history of English football, it arrived two weeks later in the final of the 1966 World Cup, but this is the goal that symbolises the soul and spirit of England football, its directness and simplicity, its blood and thunder. There was no elaborate build-up or intricate passing patterns, but a fortunate deflection, a quick layoff, a lung-busting sprint from the ...