Saturday's Euro 2024 quarter-final clash with Switzerland was a memorable one for England fans, as the Three Lions enjoyed a rare penalty shoot-out success to reach the last four.
For the second successive match in Germany, England were staring at a humiliating exit. After Jude Bellingham took centre-stage against Slovakia, it was Bukayo Saka's turn to produce a rescue act.
Without Saka's heroics, Gareth Southgate's reign as England manager would surely have ended after exactly 100 games.
As it is, he'll be hoping he has at least two more to savour.
Southgate has always had his critics, but three semi-final appearances in four major tournaments under him – one more than England managed in their previous 17 – marks him out as his country's most successful manager in modern times.
As Southgate celebrates another huge win on a landmark occasion, we run through the highs and lows of his tenure.
Southgate's record
Southgate is just the third England boss to bring up three figures, after Walter Winterbottom (139 games between 1946 and 1962) and World Cup winner Alf Ramsey (133 between 1963 and 1974).
England have won 60 matches under him, drawing 24 and losing 16. His 60% win ratio puts him fifth among all Three Lions managers, after Sam Allardyce, who memorably won his only game in charge, Fabio Capello (66.7%), Ramsey (61.1%) and Glenn Hoddle (60.7%).
Saturday's shoot-out success was his 24th major tournament match at the helm. His 13 wins in such games are the most by any England manager in history, while only Ramsey (66.7%) has bettered his 54.2% win rate in World Cup/Euros matches.
The most common criticism of Southgate relates to his safety-first approach, but only Winterbottom (383) and Ramsey (224) have overseen more England goals than his 210. The Three Lions' average of 2.1 goals per game under him tops their average of 1.98 under Ramsey.
The highs
Southgate's first tournament at the helm will always be remembered fondly, as his unfancied side went within a whisker of reaching the 2018 World Cup final, two years on from the nadir of Roy Hodgson's team losing to Iceland at Euro 2016.
With Harry Kane winning the Golden Boot and Harry Maguire providing a threat from set-pieces, England made supporters fall back in love with the national team as they reached the semi-finals, ultimately surrendering a 1-0 lead in an extra-time loss to a superior Croatia side.
The standout moment surely came in the last 16 as Colombia were beaten on penalties – England's first victory in a World Cup shoot-out and just their second in seven attempts at major tournaments at the time.
Coming after a 1-1 draw with stubborn opponents with the knockout draw opening up, Saturday's victory over Switzerland shared many similarities with the Colombia win.
Southgate has now overseen three shoot-out victories, with Switzerland also vanquished in 2019 as the Three Lions took bronze in the inaugural edition of the Nations League.
And while England's only penalty defeat under Southgate came in his biggest game in charge, their run to the Euro 2020 final was another high before heartbreak against Italy.
Most memorable of all was a 2-0 victory over Germany in the last 16, England's first competitive win over them at Wembley Stadium since the 1966 World Cup final. The semi-final versus Denmark, meanwhile, brought Southgate's only major tournament win to date over a top-10 nation in FIFA's world rankings.
The lows
The Euro 2020 final was, of course, a case of what might have been for England and Southgate. Luke Shaw's early volley sent Wembley into hysterics, but the Three Lions dropped deeper and deeper, inviting Leonardo Bonucci's equaliser and going on to suffer penalty heartache.
Southgate was fiercely criticised for losing control of the final, with England's 34.4% possession share their lowest at Wembley since a 2016 draw with Spain (34.3%).
Either side of that final, England went unbeaten in 90 minutes through 22 matches, but they then endured a dismal run midway through 2022, failing to win any of their six games in the 2022-23 edition of the Nations League as they were relegated from the top tier.
The low point of Southgate's reign came in a crushing 4-0 defeat to Hungary at Molineux that June, where supporters turned on the England boss for the first time after the team's heaviest defeat under him.
England recovered to impress in the group stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but more penalty agony awaited them in the quarter-finals, albeit not in a shoot-out.
With England 2-1 down but in the ascendency against France, captain Kane blazed a late spot-kick over the crossbar, becoming the first player to both score and miss a penalty in a World Cup match since Czechoslovakia's Michal Bilek versus the United States in 1990.
With many believing this tournament will be Southgate's last regardless of the outcome, he will hope the true high point of his tenure is yet to come.
The players
Although many players have won Southgate's trust during his eight years at the helm, one man stands clear of the rest.
Kane has been Southgate's most trusted lieutenant, his 79 appearances under him (69 as captain) putting him clear of Kyle Walker (68), John Stones and Jordan Pickford (both 66).
The striker's 60 England goals under Southgate, meanwhile, are more than treble the figure managed by his closest rival, Raheem Sterling with 18. Kane (16) also leads Sterling (13) for the most assists under Southgate.
No Three Lions player has ever scored more goals for the team under a particular manager, with Gary Lineker's 35 strikes for Bobby Robson putting him a distant second.
Only three players have won more England caps under one manager, with Billy Wright playing under Winterbottom 105 times, Bobby Moore appearing in 100 games for Ramsey, and Peter Shilton 83 for Robson.
Haaland endures Austria thrashing as Norway captain
Erling Haaland endured a miserable outing as Norway captain, with his goal-scoring exploits powerless in his side's 5-1 defeat to Austria in their Nations League encounter.
Haaland, standing in for injured skipper Martin Odegaard, watched on as his side suffered a second-half collapse at the Raiffeisen Arena.
The Manchester City striker became his nation's all-time top scorer with a brace in their 3-0 win over Slovenia, taking his total to 34 goals in 36 games, and threatened to add to that tally when he struck the post in the sixth minute.
However, a dominant start by the hosts was rewarded when Marko Arnautovic thundered his side in front in the eighth minute with a fierce effort off the crossbar.
However, Norway found themselves level six minutes before half-time when Alexander Sorloth headed Julian Ryerson's free-kick beyond the on-rushing Patrick Pentz.
Andreas Hanche-Olsen's foul on Christoph Baumgartner inside the box proved to be the beginning of the end for Norway, with Arnautovic stepping up to score the resulting penalty.
Austria increased their lead soon after through Philipp Lienhart's header, with Stefan Posch nodding the hosts 4-1 in front after being picked out at the back post by Marcel Sabitzer.
The rout was complete in the 71st minute, with Sabitzer again the architect, teeing up Michael Gregoritsch with yet another header to send Austria joint-top of Group B3.
Spalletti urges Italy to learn from Belgium mistake against Israel
Luciano Spalletti lauded Italy's spirit but warned his side must learn from their mistakes when they host Israel in Monday's Nations League clash.
Italy are top of their group, one point ahead of France, who smashed Israel 4-1 on Thursday.
Spalletti's side were held to a 2-2 draw with Belgium on the same day, throwing away an early two-goal lead after Lorenzo Pellegrini was dismissed for striking out at Arthur Theate.
The Azzurri manager referenced that error as Spalleti urged his side to use the Belgium draw as a learning curve.
"The team is working hard, sweating for the shirt, sacrificing themselves," the former Napoli head coach said at Sunday's press conference.
"The problem we learned from the last game is that in football one incident can ruin all the good work, so we must always learn from our mistakes."
Italy defeated Israel 2-1 in their first group-stage meeting thanks to goals from Davide Frattesi and Moise Kean in Budapest.
Spalletti expects another stern examination, however, as Israel aim to bounce back from their thrashing by France last time out.
"I don't know exactly who will start because it's a very delicate game with many hidden dangers," Spalletti added before confirming Guglielmo Vicario will start in goal instead of Gianluigi Donnarumma.
"Israel are a good team that can play football, so we have to keep our balance and organisation. I hope our team can take control of the game.
"Israel won't have the same attitude they showed against us or with France, as at times they sit deep and wait, at others they try to press you."
Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli will be pushing for a starting berth in Udine, though questions remain as to whether he can partner Torino's Samuele Ricci.
"Fagioli deserves more playing time and he is working hard, but this time I won't be able to give you too many hints on the line-up," continued Spalletti.
"He can play with Ricci, I gave him the role in front of the defence because I think it can suit him, but he must also know how to change tempo and direction, shake off man-marking and use the midfield like a trampoline to bounce the ball from one side to another."
Kempes backs Messi to lead Argentina's 2026 World Cup charge
Lionel Messi remains in control of his 2026 World Cup destiny with fitness no issue due to the lesser demands of playing in MLS.
That was the message from former Argentina international Mario Kempes, who expects Lionel Scaloni's superstar attacker to be physically capable of featuring in FIFA's next tournament.
Doubts remain as to whether Messi will make it to the tournament hosted across the United States, Mexico and Canada, where he will hope to play aged 39.
The former Barcelona star is already playing in the USA's domestic competition, though, and Kempes believes that could have a significant influence on him featuring at the World Cup.
"I think Messi will arrive in good shape and fresh, because the MLS is not really very demanding, even though he demands himself," Kempes told Stats Perform at Festival dello Sport in Trento, Italy.
"I think he will arrive in good shape, but first we have to wait for the qualifiers and see how he feels because he is the one who will decide if he is in condition to come in and contribute everything he knows."
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner suffered an unfortunate ankle injury in the 2024 Copa America final but has since returned to the international fold.
Messi missed several MLS matches for Miami, with that absence allowing him to recover in time for Thursday's 1-1 qualifying draw with Venezuela.
Such management of fitness issues could be key for Argentina's Messi-led hopes at the next World Cup, where he will hope to add to his 13 goals at the tournament.
Only Gerd Muller (14), Ronaldo Nazario (15) and Miroslav Klose (16) have managed more strikes at the World Cup, with Messi out for further history if he makes the 2026 edition.
Having scored seven goals en route to Argentina's 2022 success, Messi will have no doubts of adding to his impressive tally, though Kempes urged caution for expecting him to be available.
"You never know what can happen because there is still a long way to go," Kempes, who appeared 43 times for Argentina, added.
With or without Messi, Kempes has been impressed with Scaloni's work in transforming Argentina's fortunes, winning two Copa titles as well as FIFA's top prize.
"Scaloni has already surprised us all when he takes over the national team and changes all the players except for [Nicolas] Otamendi, [Angel] Di Maria and Messi," Kempes continued.
"I think he has made a generational change that has not been noticed, because he mixed the players who were already there with the new ones.
"And the new ones have been very well received and have that winning mentality that led Argentina to win two Copa Americas and a World Cup."
Argentina wrap up their October internationals when they host Bolivia on Wednesday, aiming to extend their three-point lead at the top of their qualifying group.
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