At the final whistle the Finnish reporter sat beside me threw his pen down in anger and wrenched the plug to his computer from its socket. I have never seen a hack so brassed off. Showing emotion or partisanship is the last thing the men in the press box should do. I have seen 20-something Korean writers leap with exhiliration as Seol Ki-Hyeon raced upfield for Reading, but this guy was blazered and middle-aged and should have known better. On the other hand, that football can raise such spirits in a man of his vintage and professionalism is somewhat charming.

UEFA U21 Championship: England 2:1 Finland Halmstad, Sweden - At 7,500, the Orjans Vall in Halmstad, twice a venue in the 1958 World Cup, must be the smallest venue a lot of England's team have played in for a while, but by the time of Finland's first corner in the fourth minute, the blue and white fans who had crossed the border made it feel a lot larger.

UEFA U21 Tournament: England v Finland Halmstad, Sweden Domestic interest in the UEFA U21 tournament is higher than usual this year, partly because the National Team is on leave for the summer and partly because there is the sniff of victory from England.