After three days of epic matches, the stakes were high. To reach the quarter finals you have to score goals, and that has been every team’s game plan. Some have gone to extra time. Some have gone to penalties, all have put everything into the attack, hoping their defence is enough.

But Southgate knows better.

He has been choosing players that will form the perfect winning side against each team they play, and changing the dynamics on the pitch with thoughtful substitutions. By bringing on Grealish in the second half Germany had to work even harder, but it wasn’t enough as the fan favourite played a key role in Sterling’s opening goal, before earning another assist as Kane headed one in to score his first of the tournament.

After four matches, England are now the only team to have still not conceded a goal. Defence was strong against Germany and Pickford’s sharp eye blocked anything heading his way, even doing enough to distract Thomas Müller from scoring in an open goal. They may be a young squad, but England are playing with maturity and composure, taking chances when they arise with small sparks of creativity.

Not a single member of the 40,000 crowd at Wembley will forget the eruption of euphoria that came after Sterling and Kane’s goals, nor will anyone who was watching elsewhere. Sport has the incredible power of making an entire country experience the same emotions at exactly the same time. Those edge-of-your-seat moments, the screaming when the goals were scored, the belief that football’s finally coming home as Sweet Caroline was played on repeat, were felt by over 20 million people simultaneously. Unforgettable memories in the minds of an entire generation.

There is no reason to believe England can’t win the Euros, yet we still mutter it under our breath, hoping we don’t jinx anything. But England are the fourth best team in the world, and Southgate has instilled hope, belief and positivity with a team that doesn’t dwell on the past or fear the future.

He told BBC Radio 5 Live, “they are having a sing in the changing room and I had to be a party pooper as usual to say ‘look its great but it doesn’t mean a thing if we lose on Saturday’.” He has perfectly balanced the excitement of a tournament with the hard work needed to win. All with a measured demeanour that his players respect.

People have disagreed with Southgate’s tactics and questioned his decisions before every game, but they have been proved wrong. He knows his players better than anyone, and formed a unity among the squad at every level, a sensation that’s spreading throughout the nation match by match.

Southgate’s penalty kick 25 years ago is no longer a defining moment in English football, and it’s a shame it ever was. The papers say this is his redemption, yet he didn’t hit the post, or shoot above the crossbar like Bale did against Turkey two weeks ago. The goalie guessed right. It happens. Mbappé joined the club on Monday night as his shot was saved and saw France knocked out against Switzerland.

So it is not redemption Southgate is deserving of in my opinion. It is trust. Proving his worth as a manager not by what he did as a player, but by what he is doing for England now.

“Somebody just said to me that this is the first time in 50 years that we have backed up a semi final with a quarter finals. These players have to keep on writing those stories,” Southgate said. They are stories he knows will never be forgotten, by his players and the fans. But without him there wouldn’t be one to tell.

This is a new era for England. A new chapter. England is the setting, the Euros the plot, and his players the main characters. But Gareth Southgate is the author.