Sod The Schools and Sod Those Who Don’t ‘Get It’ - England Just Showed Why Football Means Everything

Sod The Schools and Sod Those Who Don’t ‘Get It’ - England Just Showed Why Football Means Everything

It is in football’s nature to do bizarre things to people. It can make us laugh and cry, it can make us travel the world, it sparks fights and friendships, and just occasionally, it can keep us up until 4am on a Monday morning.

The best part? We wouldn’t have it any other way.

During the domestic season, where clubs play week in and week out, non-football fans regularly find themselves in the vicinity of a game, and when they do, they invariably proclaim, “I don’t get it" – whether it is the rules, the passion or the global reach of the game is anyone’s guess, but regardless, it never fails to wind up the true football follower.

This is what it means! 🙌🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

England breathe a sigh of relief as they celebrate a massive win over Mexico. pic.twitter.com/GNYHLiv1IT

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 6, 2026

After England’s pulsating 3-2 win over Mexico at their home ground at the Estadio Azteca, no one was claiming they didn’t get it anymore. Down a man, drowning in one of the most hostile atmospheres in recent memory and having to deal with wave after wave of Mexican threats, the Three Lions' team unity, quality from start to finish, and blind optimism even in the face of enormous adversity finally had people understanding why we die by the sword for this sport.

You’ve Got School in the Morning, School in the Mooooorning

Attendance across English schools of all age groups is likely to be at an all-time low today. Despite Education Secretary Bridget Philipson’s dull advice to make sure children got into school at the usual time today, England manager Thomas Tuchel’s rather different guidance will likely echo much louder with the younger generations: “There is so much school to go, but the World Cup is every four years. Let them watch.”

It is a testament to the power of football that some education centres heeded the England manager’s words, allowing their students to arrive at a later time, with one in Wiltshire even sacrificing school hours to show a replay of the entire match to students who still didn't know the score, while others are stiffly sticking to their principles of “my way or the highway".

The fact that there is even a meaningful discussion over whether students are going into school the day after an England game speaks volumes to the importance of the English national team to the country's culture. All it takes is a tournament game to take place seven timezones over for our proud nation to (almost) come to a standstill.

While millions of football fans watched England beat Mexico 3-2 in the World Cup, one school in Wiltshire is watching the whole match this morning with 400 children who don't know the result.

On #BBCBreakfast this was the moment England were leading 2-1, and then Harry Kane took… pic.twitter.com/TcNXEYBwVq

— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) July 6, 2026

Thank god it was worth it, as schools may have been completely empty had our side collapsed in the second half after going a man down – no doubt students would have been calling in sick with ‘World Cup flu' or else locking themselves in a room for the foreseeable future, like many of their adult counterparts would also be doing.

Honestly, sod the schools. Most of them should have pivoted to opening late or closing completely for the day when the game was delayed by an hour to kick off an hour later, with the first ball being kicked at 2am instead of 1am, and any facility demanding their pupils come in at the usual time today either have their collective heads in the sand or are simply one of those fans who claim “not to get it" – attempting to pass this mindset onto some of their students rather than allowing them to make up their minds themselves should be viewed as a criminal offence.

Don’t Get It? You Do Now…

While the education scene was busy having a moral dilemma, the puzzled watchers at home who genuinely don’t understand why us football fans go nuts may finally have a handle on what makes the sport so special.

Even disregarding the actual football for a second, the thunderous atmosphere around the Azteca, the deafening “OLE” chants, and the raucous reaction whenever anything minor happened on the pitch were enough to turn the head of even the most passive observer – it was clear to everyone who caught even a snippet of the game that it was no normal football match.

This was highlighted clearly to all by the nation's collective reaction to Jude Bellingham’s 98-second double salvo, a brace that, had you not been clued in on the occasion, you would have thought had just won England the World Cup.

Incredible from Jude Bellingham! 🤩🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

There were just 98 seconds between his two goals. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/L5mfhYhrGb

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 6, 2026

It would have been even more starkly underlined to those who haven’t been able to find the magic in football when Mexico’s danger man, Julián Quiñones, pulled one back for El Tricolor, producing a nationwide gasp across England, followed by more than a few bums shuffling uncomfortably in their seats.

Then there was the unquantified horror that we all felt when Jarrell Quansah was deservedly sent off for an out-of-control challenge that, in other circumstances, would have been the main talking point of the game. A man down in boiling hot cauldron of Mexico’s capital City against a side that had shown time and again that they simply don’t lose at the Azteca, we were all fearing the worse.

Thank the lord for Anthony Gordon. He may be something of a Princess Diana doppelgänger, but the turn of pace, the timing, and the touch to beat Raul Rangel to the ball and earn a penalty were fit only for a king, and when Harry Kane inevitably converted, the awful constriction we were starting to feel in our chests loosened just a little.

So when terror returned just 9 minutes later when Mexico was awarded a penalty down at the other end, very few could be blamed for simply switching their TV sets off and heading to bed before it all became too much – a 90-minute football match had produced more drama in 70 minutes than some TV series do in as many episodes, something even the veteran football fan was not prepared for in any way, shape or form.

Once Jimenez converted, there was only one feeling on everyone's mind: dread. Pit-of-your-stomach, panic-sweat-inducing, pacing-in-front-of-the-TV dread. With 20 minutes of normal time remaining, and what would end up being 11 minutes of added time, there was simply no way the Three Lions could hold out, right?

Step up 6ft 7in Dan Burn, brought on with half an hour to play and with the sole job of throttling Mexican crosses before they even left a boot. World Cup debut, in an atmosphere seen only a handful of times in the sports history, and a World Cup quarter-final spot on the line, the pressure was enough for anyone to hit the self-destruct button.

But Burn is built different; the head on his shoulders is built for one thing and one thing only: defending crosses. He won absolutely everything, and when a ball flew past him, the gloves of Jordan Pickford were invariably there to fist away the danger.

Aside from a late John Stones own goal scare, Mexico never got close, and the Three Lions showed remarkable, and perhaps surprising, maturity that disrupted any Mexican momentum and rendered any attacking threat as nothing more than a mere inconvenience.

That full-time whistle feeling… There are very few emotions like it. It’s like a hand that had been squeezing your heart for 90-plus minutes has just let go entirely, a wild relief and surge of endorphins that promises to engulf you for the foreseeable future, wiping any thoughts of sleep from the minds of the unemployed and employed alike.

One of the best post-match interviews you will EVER see! Rest up, Harry :) pic.twitter.com/twk8bhP2YK

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 6, 2026

Passive observers, I speak directly to you: surely you get it now, right?

The sense of occasion, the electrifying 2-0 goals in less than two minutes, the drama, worry, stress, joy and jubilation, the post-match celebrations, and THAT Harry Kane interview – it must make more sense now. What else has the ability to twist you emotionally inside out in 100 different ways in such a short time period? What else can have you with one foot out the door and the other through the TV screen?

England just showed us why football does the things it does – to those on the pitch, and those who religiously follow, serenade and criticise them, it means absolutely everything, and last night was a culmination of 60 years of hurt, pain, rebirth and a growing positivity that the Three Lions might actually have what it takes to be crowned as world champions.