AFP
England fans are looking forward to a first major tournament final in 55 years as their team prepare to face Italy in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley on Sunday.
England stand just one game away from ending their long and painful trophy drought, which dates all the way back to the 1966 World Cup.
A Wembley crowd of almost 65,000 whipped themselves into a frenzy against Denmark with rousing renditions of "Sweet Caroline" and "Three Lions (football's coming home)".
The decisive moment came late in the first period of extra time when Dutch referee Danny Makkelie awarded a spot-kick for Joakim Maehle's challenge on Raheem Sterling which survived a VAR check, and England held out to seal the win after Harry Kane scored on the rebound after his penalty was saved by Kasper Schmeichel.
The final whistle sparked scenes of pandemonium inside Wembley -- hosting the biggest crowd in the UK since the start of the coronavirus pandemic -- and across the country.
Flag-waving fans in London's Trafalgar Square abandoned their seating to merge into a huge, swaying crowd after the final whistle. One group of supporters climbed on top of a double-decker bus.
England have suffered semi-final heartbreak at major tournaments four times since 1966 and those agonising defeats have been etched in the psyche of English football. But Southgate has overseen the emergence of a vibrant young team unconcerned by the failings of their predecessors.
The semi-final was attended by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prince William, who is president of the English Football Association.
Johnson, who initially refused to condemn fans for booing the England team while they took the knee earlier in the tournament, has not ruled out the prospect of an 'emergency' bank holiday should England triumph on Sunday.
