England feel pride and pain
England manager Gareth Southgate says the team dressing room is ‘‘a difficult place at the moment,’’ after his side went out to Croatia in extra-time in the Fifa World Cup semifinals.
England could not hold on to a fifth-minute lead following a Kieran Trippier free-kick, and instead of playing France in the final in Moscow will now come up against Belgium in St Petersburg in the match for third place.
‘‘At the moment we all feel the pain of defeat,’’ Southgate said after the loss yesterday.
‘‘I don’t think realistically we expected to be here. But once you’re here and played as well as we did, you want to take those opportunities in life.’’
‘‘The dressing room is a difficult place at the moment. It’s impossible to say anything to them that is going to make them feel better at this point.’’
Southgate also paid tribute to Croatia, who have shown incredible resilience to make the final after winning two knockout games on penalties and the other deep in extra time.
‘‘They’ve had an incredible route to the final. They’ve shown remarkable character,’’ he said.
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic also paid tribute to his side’s toughness.
‘‘We are a nation of people who never give in, who are proud and who have character,’’ he said.
‘‘There’s no weakness in a team that is in the final.’’
There was no penalty heartache for England this time, like in the semifinals at the 1990 World Cup or 1996 European Championship. But England remain onetime World Cup finalists, their famous title win in 1966.
‘‘It hurts a lot,’’ England captain Harry Kane said. ‘‘It’s going to hurt for a while.’’
The defeat to Croatia was telling at home, where London’s Hyde Park looked like a war zone after thousands of fans gathered to watch the match on a big screen went home deflated.
‘‘Wasn’t to be this time,’’ British Prime Minister Theresa May wrote on Twitter, ‘‘but it’s been a great journey that’s made the country proud’’.
There is a genuine sense of warmth between this squad and its followers. The apathy of just four years ago – when the 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium was more than half empty – replaced by a newfound affection for the team under Southgate.
‘‘If we have brought joy back home, which I know we have, that has been worthwhile,’’ he said.
Southgate believed the tournament would stand his team in good stead for future competition.
‘‘They have broken through a number of barriers over the last few weeks. We have made such strides with our supporters.’’
There are sorrows to drown, but this was not an embarrassment for England. No need to rip up the script that has seen England recover from the humiliation of being denied a place at the 2008 European Championship by Croatia with a coaching blueprint instilled through all age groups winning titles.
Champions last year at both the under-17 and under-20 World Cups, collecting the main prize will have to wait at least until 2022.
A timepiece at the national team’s St George’s Park base has been counting down to the final in Qatar. It was compared to the Doomsday Clock when new leadership took charge at the Football Association. But Southgate has real optimism that his team can hit its peak in the Gulf in four years – from Kane up front to Jordan Pickford in goal.
‘‘It’s clear to everyone the progress that’s been made in terms of the level of performances and the quality of the group,’’ Southgate said. ‘‘This is a thoroughly different journey.’’
English football has now had its reset moment.
The country came to Russia to regain respect. From the ignominy of the failure to win a game at the 2014 World Cup to the meek collapse against Iceland in the round of 16 at Euro 2016.
‘‘This team has taken us to a place that we never thought we would ever have imagined we would get,’’ Gary Neville, England’s assistant coach during the Euro 2016 campaign, said on British broadcaster ITV. ‘‘They have taken the nation with them.’’
England do not appear in semifinals very often. Southgate was in the last one 22 years ago. A post-match news conference after the loss to Croatia looked like the last place he wanted to be.
‘‘I’m trying to get the balance right,’’ Southgate said, ‘‘of recognising that tonight was a wonderful opportunity for us and you can’t guarantee that those opportunities will ever come again’’.