The end is in sight. For the first time in nearly five weeks, there is no football on our screens tonight. But let’s be entirely honest: nobody in Ireland is complaining about a quiet evening, because we are all far too busy enjoying the spectacular fallout from Wednesday’s historic semi-final.

Up in Atlanta, Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute strike had English fans already planning the parade routes through London. But the footballing gods, as they so often do, saved their most brutal twist for the very end.

Brought in as a sophisticated upgrade to Gareth Southgate’s dour, honourable pragmatism, when push came to shove, Thomas Tuchel proved to be every bit as conservative as his predecessor – perhaps even more so.

The die was cast when Tuchel hauled off the quick-footed goalscorer, Gordon, to be replaced by a defender, Konsa. When Enzo Fernández equalised in the 85th minute, English excitement turned into sheer terror, before Lautaro Martínez delivered a devastating, 92nd-minute dagger to send Argentina to the final. At that stage, England had six defenders on, but the tactic that had kept Mexico at bay simply didn’t work against the wily, crafty Argentines.

The collective silence that descended across English pubs was so profound you could hear a pint drop. Back in the television studios, Roy Keane sat in glorious, glacial silence, wearing a look that said, “I literally told you this would happen five minutes ago,” while his fellow pundits quietly wept into their notes. It is a classic, textbook English exit – so near, and yet so spectacularly far.

So while the players take a well-deserved rest tonight, the debate will rage on in every living room from Derry to Cork. Thomas Tuchel’s tactical decisions are already being dissected with microscopic intensity, and the English media have officially entered a period of national mourning. Grab a tea, open the back pages, and enjoy the silence.

Whatever happens on that pitch, The Heat Map won’t let you down.