“Of course I [effed] up,” sings Black Sherif in his classic single Kweku the Traveller. “Who never [effed up], hands in the air … no hands.” And, though he wasn’t singing about England he could’ve been, because if there’s one thing of which the last couple of weeks have reminded us, it’s that we all make mistakes, all of the time – sometimes massive ones which unnecessarily and gratuitously harm ourselves and those around us. This, though is part of what it means be human – the trick is be honest and brave in evaluating our lapses before being honest enough and brave enough to leave them behind in favour of something better.

But enough about austerity, cutting public services, Brexit, the hostile environment, the “go home” vans, proroguing parliament, the Windrush scandal, the A-level scandal, the Post Office scandal, Grenfell, Covid parties, the Rwanda scheme, dumping effluence into rivers, the two-child benefit cap, the food banks, impoverished children, the homelessness crisis, the cost-of-living crisis, freezing working-age benefits, tripling tuition fees, the ailing NHS, the institutional racism and all who knowingly voted for them. Bada bing! Pick that irony out!

England’s recent story has, though, been one of trial and error, a solid but uninspiring leader lacking imagination, personal magnetism and an animating philosophy finding a way to succeed in circumstances so favourable it was almost impossible for him to fail. But enough about the centrist prime minister with the socialist name and on to the football manager with the rugby union name. Gareth Southgate has, over the last couple of weeks, been responsible for some major oversights: a right-back who has to be accommodated at right-back suddenly relocated to midfield and expected to learn on the job during a tournament; 4-2-3-1; Conor Gallagher; Jarrod Bowen; negative tactics; negative substitutions. Bit by bit, though, he has remedied them all, his team improving through the tournament such that they are now in the final and the rest is … a lucrative series of podcasts.

Ultimately, the skill is in taking an all-the-pieces-matter approach to leadership, forging disparate elements into a whole so that they represent the best of England: a harmonious balance of ages and abilities, ethnicities and personalities. Except the fight is not over, not by a long chalk: up next is a ruthless, cynical, opportunistic opponent in a winner-takes-all battle, the losing of which could be catastrophic. But enough about the 4,106,661 people who, just last week, voted for a hard-right party run by a multi-millionaire posing as a people’s revolutionary. Because now is a time to celebrate: on Sunday, England face Spain in the final of the European Championships and, like an overwhelming mandate to improve quality of life for those who most need it, there’s absolutely no eff up about that.

It’s a rest day but there’s no rest for the news blog. Follow the latest here.

“As a former defender myself, what could he do in that position? He tried to block the ball … To penalise that is to tell him we cannot properly play football. I think that we cannot properly play football and this is due to VAR. It really breaks football” – Ronald Koeman rails at the VAR’s decision to give England their crucial penalty. Either way, 1993 wants a Nelson Muntz-sounding word.

So, it’s come to this. That long-awaited time for fatuous national comparisons is here. Sunday night is all about pie versus paella, Rioja to enduring Rio’s analysis, the rain in Spain measured against the flow from Old Trafford’s roof, Flamenco countering cries of ‘Flamin’ Nora’, the Costa Blanca or the cost of living, olé against Ollie and loads of bull on both sides” – Mark McFadden.

Betteridge’s law of newspaper headlines states that ‘any headline that ends in a question mark can simply be answered by the word no’. Apropos of nothing, in The Scotsman …” – Noble Francis.

Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day winner is … Noble Francis. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here.

The Killers may not be your favourite band, and England might not be your favourite footballing nation, but we’re not sure you can totally argue against the euphoria experienced by those in attendance at their gig on Wednesday night, who watched the end of England’s win on a big screen at the O2 before the band seamlessly transitioned into Mr Brightside. A serious gamble from Brandon Flowers and co to bet that the Netherlands wouldn’t spoil this particular party, but the vibes were absolutely elite. Chapeau.

Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk will consider his future for both club and country over the next few weeks after their semi-final exit. “I will think carefully this summer about what I want at club level and as an international player,” he sighed. “It hurts a lot that we conceded this goal so late in the match and are now empty-handed.”

Next up for England fans: how they’re going to swing going to the final.

French referee François Letexier will officiate Sunday’s showpiece in Berlin. Szymon Marciniak, who took charge of the Human Rights World Cup final in 2022, will be the fourth official.

England’s performance has got Spain’s Luis de la Fuente hot under the collar. “[They] have quality players that can appear at any moment,” snarled the head coach. “We are up against a really powerful side full of experience, not just in terms of the national team, but at club level as well. It’s going to be tough.”

And should England come out on top on Sunday, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey believes the country should be given a bank holiday. “The Three Lions are playing their first ever final on foreign soil, and if they bring it home, the government should bring home a bank holiday to celebrate,” he parped. “England deserves the chance to celebrate a once-in-a-generation event.”

“Put out more flags. Dig out the George Cross jester’s hat from behind the sofa. At the end of a campaign that has seen their footballers, questioned, written off, and even described in post-watershed terms by respected broadcasters, Gareth Southgate and his team will now contest the final in Berlin after yet another thrilling moment of late drama.” Barney Ronay on England.

Gareth Southgate, the technocrat with his clipboard and his data, has somehow been transformed into a reckless adventurer, writes Jonathan Wilson.

The Netherlands have had the fans of the tournament. That may not be much consolation, reports Paul MacInnes with the Dutch camp.

You want more on Lamine Yamal? You can’t handle more on Lamine Yamal have this from Sid Lowe then.

Citizen Mbappé taking on the far right offered some pride to France’s exit, explains Philippe Auclair.

Ten players who have increased their transfer value at the Euros. By Ed Aarons.

And here are the latest Golden Boot standings: it’s tight.

Darwin Núñez is dusting himself down after being one of several Uruguay players who clashed with fans in the stands after their 1-0 Copa América semi-final defeat to Colombia. The players involved could face a lengthy ban. “Our families are in the stands,” explained José María Giménez. “There are little newborn babies. It was a disaster; there was no police and we had to defend our families. This is the fault of two or three people who had a few too many drinks.”

Following their own troubles, USA USA USA’s Gregg Berhalter is now just Gregg Berhalter after he was hoofed out of the door marked Beat It! “Our immediate focus is on finding a coach who can maximise our potential as we continue to prepare for the 2026 World Cup,” roared suit Matt Crocker. Speaking of which.

The Republic of Ireland have also made a Copa América-related manager change, appointing Heimir Hallgrímsson as the new head coach. The Icelandic dentist featured as manager of Jamaica, who lost all three group games.

João Palhinha has swapped south-west London for south Germany after Bayern Munich paid Fulham €51m (£43m) for the Portuguese midfield enforcer. “This is one of the happiest days of my life,” he tooted. “I’m now playing for one of the top clubs in Europe.”

Manchester United have made a £71.4m net loss in the third quarter of the financial year, with Big Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s buy-in costing the club £30.3m.

And Amanda Staveley is to sever ties with Newcastle, almost three years after becoming the public face of the club’s Saudi-controlled takeover.

Ridiculously, animal oracles have now been around for the better part of two decades (RIP Paul), as seen here before the Euro 2012 final, giant panda Lin Hui choosing a Spanish flag over an Italian one to predict the outcome in Kyiv. She wasn’t wrong, though it wasn’t a massive call to be fair.