PRIDE IN THE LIONS
City turns out in force to back Southgate’s men, but England fall at final hurdle
JOY turned to devastation for England fans last night as Gareth Southgate and his squad’s heroic World Cup run came to an end.
An early lead had brought elation to supporters in pubs and clubs around the region, including those watching on the huge screen outdoors at Times Square in Newcastle, with flags and drinks alike hurled aloft as Tottenham’s Kieran Trippier scored less than five minutes into the game from a superblytaken free-kick.
At half time, the mood was jubilant. Fan Lee Forester said it was the “proudest moment of my life”, while James Drew said he was “ecstatic”.
But the tension increased and the mood changed after Croatia’s Ivan Perisic equalised and things started to turn, forcing the crowd to watch through their hands as Croatia claimed their place in the final after Mario Mandzukic stole in to seal a 2-1 win.
“I feel terrible,” said Jacob Humphreys. “There was a lot of hope, a lot of happiness behind this team – they felt like something good, and they were good, but it could have been so much better.”
“I don’t think there’s any word other than gutted,” said Dan Saunders. “Maybe heartbroken.”
Some fans, however, were philosophical.
Jake Barnay said: “It’s sad but we’ve had so many disappointments, but this was actually a tournament where we can be proud of our team. We can walk away with our heads held high.”
England will now face Belgium, who beat them when the sides met in the first-round group stage in Saturday’s third-place play-off, while Croatia advance to the tournament showpiece against France on Sunday.