DRIVING THE DAY
THREE LIONS: England’s heartbroken heroes left Wembley last night having accomplished two remarkable achievements that might have seemed impossible just a month ago: securing the country’s best performance at a major tournament since 1966, and uniting a nation ravaged by the nightmare of the past 16 months behind a new wave of optimism for the future. In years gone by, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka the three players who missed penalties in the ill-fated shootout against Italy might have been scapegoats for the gutting defeat. But in the age of Gareth Southgate, this morning’s newspapers are unanimous in their superlatives for the three young lions who were brave enough to step up, and who will again in years to come. There are so many positives to take from England’s momentous run over the past few weeks, and there’s not long to wait until this group of players can go one better in the one that really matters: the World Cup is only a ye