Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
ENGLAND TEAM return home..
Three Lions fly in after World Cup ‘adventure’
Ronaldo on the list of all-time greats. The England skipper said: “It has been a fantastic campaign for me and for the team as well. Not many people get to say that they have won the Golden Boot.”
The team was devastated after the 2-1 defeat to Croatia in Moscow last Wednesday but Harry added: “We can hold our heads high. I will never forget the fans staying behind, singing our names after that match. It showed that we have connected with the supporters again.”
Boss Southgate, 47, said: “There have been incredible physical and emotional demands on the least experienced team of the tournament. We are under no illusions as to where we stand. We have finished in the top four but we are not a top four team. Against the very best teams we have come up short. But we’ve had a wonderful adventure. I couldn’t ask any more of the players.”
Many of the young stars dashed home for emotional reunions, with defender Harry Maguire posting a heartwarming image captioned: “Lovely welcome home from friends and family.” Jamie Vardy’s wife Rebekah posted a similar image, adding: “Welcome home.”
Looking back at the tournament, the loyal band who went to all England’s games covered around 17,000 miles in four weeks.
Kevin Miles, of the Football Supporters’ Federation, helped fans at the host cities. He said: “Off the pitch mirrored the experience on the pitch – the fans were surprised by Russia. It was well organised and people were very helpful.”
Steven Crouch, 35, of Birmingham, was with the 1,000 fans at Saturday’s defeat to Belgium in St Petersburg. He said: “This England team has really re-connected with the fans.”
Other highlights of the Three Lions’ run included Jordan Pickford’s save and Eric Dier’s crucial spot-kick against Colombia, which earned England’s first World Cup penalty shoot-out victory.
It was also England’s first knock-out win in 12 years and helped them to their first semi-final since Italia ’90.
And the 6-1 victory over Panama in the group stages was the Three Lions’ biggest victory margin at a World Cup.