These are unprecedented times for England - enjoy them

Ten years ago, the suggestion that England could become serial contenders in major tournaments would have sounded laughable, following a dismal World Cup in Brazil where England finished bottom of their group. Spearheaded by the brilliance of Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, England now firmly belong in the conversation as potential champions. Since Euro 2016, England have reached at least the semi-finals in four out of five tournaments, a record only surpassed by Argentina and France. After England's nail-biting 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway on Saturday, Argentina - and a first meeting with Lionel Messi - await in the final four. Even if England fall short once again, this is now a team built to compete rather than enjoy a brief dalliance with success. In the 68 years before Russia 2018, England had only ever reached one final and three semi-finals, with two of those as hosts. Now everything is different, with an extended period of excellence no England team has come close to. Two finals and two semi-finals in the space of eight years mark a remarkable era for England's football teams, with the Lionesses winning back-to-back European Championship titles. Gareth Southgate took England to successive finals of the Euros, and Thomas Tuchel is now tasked with taking the next step.