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"We believe in miracles... you sixy things,"
The Sun declared, paying homage to a Hot Chocolate hit from the
1970s, on its front page over an image of players celebrating
Sunday's 6-1 win over Panama, England's biggest ever at a World
Cup.
Having mustered just one point and two goals in their disastrous
2014 World Cup campaign, England are flying in Russia, already
into the Round of 16 with two wins out of two, eight goals, and
the tournament's top scorer in Harry Kane.
That has transformed expectations.
Former England midfielder and new Derby manager Frank Lampard, a
mainstay of the 'golden generation' of big-name
under-performers, said Gareth Southgate's team could now lift
the trophy.
"I don't see why we would be negative enough to just start
going, 'Oh, I hope we get to the quarter-finals'," he told the
BBC.
"This is not getting ahead of myself, just look at the talent in
our squad and in the team and the way they're playing, and why
should we write ourselves off?"
Other newspapers were packed with pictures of the England team
flying back to their base cradling hat-trick man Kane's match
ball and fans back home leaping for joy and spraying themselves
with beer as the goals went in.
"Russia is often accused of fiddling with the news, but this
really happened," said Daily Telegraph sports writer Paul
Hayward, in a nod to this year's political tensions between
Russia and the West, especially the United Kingdom.
"Here in a city where the Soviet Union exiled dissidents,
England were escaping a suffocating past. It was only Panama, a
team of penalty-box wrestlers who were extraordinarily bad, but
still..."
Amid the joy, some England fans warned against getting too
carried away after victories over Panama -- ranked 55th in the
world -- and lowly Tunisia in the opening game.
Sterner tests will undoubtedly come, not least against Belgium
in England's final group game on Thursday, but for most, it was
time to just enjoy the moment.
"Sorry to disappoint those who are advising caution but I'm only
too happy to get carried away," wrote former England and current
Stoke City striker Peter Crouch in a column for the Daily Mail.
"It has been too long since we had a national team that got us
off our seats and allowed us to get behind them. This one is
giving us all the right signs. Let's not keep a lid on those
feelings."
(Additional reporting by Guy Faulconbridge in London; Editing by
John O'Brien)
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