Oh, what a World Cup let-down

After all those hopes, nation deflated as team of understudies lose 1-0 (but we ARE still in it...)

AFTER that Panama thrashing, we could be forgiven for hoping this could be the year for England’s footballers.

But as millions of fans sat on the edge of their seats last night, reality hit home as the team suffered their first defeat.

Gareth Southgate’s squad finished second in their group after a 1-0 defeat to Belgium.

Millions of spectators were left disappointed after the England manager made eight changes to the starting squad, leaving a number of big name players out of the team.

Harry Kane – who scored a hat trick in the record-breaking 6-1 victory against Panama – was left on the bench. The defeat now consigns England to a tough last-16 fixture against Colombia in Moscow on Tuesday.

But despite the setback, England fans who travelled to Russia to watch the game still had faith in the Three Lions’ chances of progressing in the tournament.

Edward David – who was a spectator at the World Cup final as a teenager in 1966 – said last night: ‘We’ve definitely got a chance of lifting the trophy in Moscow.

‘We may have lost tonight but it may actually suit us in the long run. Finishing second is not necessarily a bad thing.’ The 68-year-old, who saw England beat West Germany in the ’66 Wembley final with his late father, added: ‘It’s been such a brilliant World Cup. I can’t thank the Russians enough. But with this team we can do it. That would be amazing – seeing us win twice in my life-time.’ David Walsh, a 35year- old painter and decorator from Clifton, Bristol, said: ‘I have told all my mates to keep the faith. We are still in the competition. Tonight was just a bump in the road – we can still do something in this tournament.’

In previous encounters with Belgium, England have won 15 games, drawn four and lost two. The last defeat against the side was in an international friendly in Casablanca in May 1998 when Glenn Hoddle’s side lost 4-3 on penalties.

The only other loss came when Belgium beat England 3-2 in a Brussels friendly in May 1936.

England had last night already secured qualification for the last 16 of the tournament – it was simply a question of whether they would win Group G and play Japan next week or come second and face Colombia.

However, should they overcome the South American side they would potentially face Sweden or Switzerland in the quarter-final – an easier route to the final next month.

And if they were able to progress further they could face Spain, Russia, Croatia or Denmark in the semi-finals.

That would mean avoiding tougher teams such as Brazil, Argentina, France and Portugal.

Beating Belgium – rated the third best team in the world – was always going to be a tough task for 12th ranked England. Adnan Januzaj – who once played for Manchester United – scored the 51st minute goal which saw Southgate’s side lose for the first time in the competition.

During the game some 6,000 England fans outnumbered and out sang their Belgian counterparts in a capacity 33,973 crowd in the Kaliningrad Stadium. Clearly enjoying the shock departure of World Champions Germany, they repeatedly sang ‘Auf Wiedersehen’ and ‘Are you watching, Germany?’

Earlier in the day, thousands of England fans prepared for the game by drinking in the bars and cafes around Kaliningrad’s Victory Square. Hundreds of St George flags were hung up in the city as supporters sang ‘Football’s Coming Home’.

‘This is just a bump in the road’