For Arsenal supporters, the agony of Saturday’s men’s Champions League final in Budapest will linger for years. A penalty shootout – described by the Guardian as a sporting version of Russian roulette – turned hope into despair in the time it took to fire a ball over the crossbar. The England men’s team, once haunted by such defeats under Gareth Southgate, now watch from a different vantage point as Thomas Tuchel’s squad set off for the World Cup.
A triumphant Sunday parade offered the Premier League champions some consolation, while the Arsenal women’s team bus joined the celebrations after winning the inaugural Fifa Women’s Champions Cup and reaching the Uefa Champions League semi-final – they remain the only English women’s side to have won the latter.
“England and Scotland head to World Cup after a season of penalty heartbreak and historic title races”
Yet the season’s drama was not limited to north London. In Scotland, the most dramatic championship race for 40 years ended with Hearts coming within minutes of a first title since 1960, humbling the old firm duopoly of Rangers and Celtic. In England’s Premier League, upwardly mobile clubs confirmed the league’s depth: Aston Villa won a first European trophy since the 1980s, and Crystal Palace claimed their first ever European title in a joyous Uefa Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig.
Now, attention turns to the World Cup. The buildup has been overshadowed by controversy over eye-watering ticket prices in the United States, but England flew to a pre-tournament camp in Miami on Monday and Scotland headed to Florida on Sunday. The last time both nations competed in a men’s World Cup was 1998.
The tournament itself has already delivered unforgettable moments: Paraguay’s 1-1 draw with Germany in the last 32, decided by a penalty shootout that Germany – supposedly invincible from the spot – lost in spectacular fashion. Another match, Algeria 3-3 Austria, was a “completely strange fever dream”, according to the Guardian, with stoppage-time chaos after expectations of a tame draw. England’s thrilling 3-2 win over Mexico at the Azteca was a high point, while Argentina’s 3-2 comeback against Egypt, inspired by Lionel Messi, kept the defending champions alive.
With England and Scotland both in the tournament, the best may be yet to come.