Breaking into the World Cup Final, Launching a Charge for the Championship!

Two goals down, England had all but lost this match.

Though there was still plenty of time, breaking through Spain's goal would not be easy. And scoring just once would be meaningless—they needed at least two.

The difficulty was simply too great!

On the sidelines, Southgate could no longer sit still. He took off the underperforming Sterling and sent on Vardy.

Sterling had wasted several golden chances in this match. If he had taken even one of them, England would not have found themselves in such a passive position.

Of course, Sterling could not be blamed entirely. After all, he played happy football.

Vardy made an immediate impact after coming on.

With his support and ability to draw defenders, Kane found things much easier up front.

Vardy was the sort of player who blossomed late. His story was the stuff of football inspiration.

In his early years, Vardy had been rejected by a professional club's youth academy because of his height. Later, he worked while playing part-time in amateur leagues.

At twenty-five, Vardy was still playing for an obscure League Two side.

League Two was England's fourth tier, and also the lowest level of professional football in Britain. Below it was the National League, where most teams were amateur.

Normally, a twenty-five-year-old player grinding away in such a low division would fade into obscurity and quietly spend out the rest of his career.

But Vardy was fortunate. His talent was not buried. Leicester City, then still in the Championship, spotted him and paid one million pounds to bring him to the Foxes. Over the following years, he helped the team win promotion to the Premier League and nearly create a miracle in the 2015-16 season.

What impressed people most about Vardy was his fighting spirit. On the pitch, he seemed