World Cup dream is over as England lose 2-1
● Agony for Southgate’s young side as streetwise Croatia battle back to book their place in final
England manager Gareth Southgate consoles Ashley Young after England crashed out of the Fifa World Cup in Moscow last night as the side lost 2-1 to Croatia after extra time in a tense semi-final
It was a run of form that led millions of England supporters to dare to dream their national football team could repeat its World Cup success of 1966.
But it is the fans rather than the trophy that will be coming home on Sunday after that dream evaporated in Moscow last night as the side lost 2-1 to Croatia in a tense semi-final.
Pubs across Edinburgh were packed full, with many having to operate a “one in, one out” policy as supporters descended on the city centre.
At the Three Sisters pub in the Cowgate hundreds of fans packed the courtyard to watch the match on a big screen.
Dozens of supporters arrived wearing England shirts and waistcoats in tribute to manager Gareth Southgate, with a few Croatia shirts on display.
The bar shipped in an extra 400 kegs of lager and 200 kegs of cider over the weekend to keep fans going throughout the game. As England scored after just five minutes, booze was thrown in the air just like in London’s Hyde Park, where upwards of £10,000 worth of beer is thought to have been wasted.
England fan WayneKeeble, 28, said he has “enjoyed the banter” with locals while watching England’s progress in Scotland.
MrKeeb le, from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, said: “It’s been a really good atmosphere all tournament up here, obviously you get a bit of banter with the locals, but generally it’s been really good.”
Musician Chris Mckeown, 35, from Aberdeenshire, wearing a Croatia shirt, said: “It has been a really good atmosphere all tournament, it always is here, there hasn’t been any animosity.”
At the centre of the maelstrom was the waist coated Southgate, a man upon whom a country somewhat jaded about its actual political leaders has projected its aspirations for sound judgment and authoritative calm.
As Harry Webster, 11, captain of the football team at Minster Primary School in Ramsgate, Kent, put it yesterday as he turned up for “Waistcoat Wednesday” in a natty grey number: “Gareth S outhgate is the b est manager to ever manage England. He’s chosen the right team each game and they have performed well. He has given us hope.”
Even though that journey ended last night once confronted with the tactical swagger of the Croats, it is an end-of-term report the like of which Prime Minister Theresa May can only dream.
Union leaders yesterday felt moved to appeal to employers to show a little morning-after bonhomie regardless of the outcome of last night’s semifinal clash with Croatia.
Frances O’Grady, gener al secretar y of the TUC, said: “We have fewer bank holidays than most of Europe. Giving people a day off to celebrate the World Cup would be great for the country and isn’t going to crash the economy. Workers put in billions of unpaid over time each. They should b e allowed to e njoy sp ecial occasions.”
England will play B elgium on S aturday to decide third place. Croatia will face France in the final on Sunday.
They’re going home. But they’re not taking football with them and nobody in England really wanted to see them just yet, one match short of the World Cup final. What an effort, though. A faith-restoring attempt for their sup - porters at reaching a first World Cup final in 52 years.
Eventually, a Croatia side with a few more global stars, a little more experience, a few extra years amongst them and a decisive wit, came from behind to win. England are only the second team of the past 19 to lose a World Cup semifinal after leading at half-time.
For the whole first half, after Kieran Trippier fired them in front in the fifth minute, still England believed it was coming home. That they would play France on Sunday in front of the world.
But there were two En glands out there. First half: the young, at tac king, dynamic, quick, new England this World Cup has become accustomed to. Second half: the old England, the tired England, the boot-it-up-the-pitchand-hope -for-the -best England. The England team that their fans watch through their fingers.
Football is not about first halves, or second halves, or extra time, or penalties; it’s about getting over the line.
England manager Gareth Southgate, pictured, at least gave it ago. A weaker manager would’ve played Jordan Henderson and Eric Dier to control Croatia’s Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic, but Southgate stuck with his favoured, for ward-thinking, starting line -up, meaning Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard needed big performances.
They weren’t big enough, even if it paid off straight away: Lingard spun on the ball and passed to Alli, who ran through the middle and was tripped by Modric. Trippier swung the ball into the top right corner. The Bury Beck ham? People will have to start referring to Beck ham as the Leytonstone Trip pier if he keeps this up.
South gate pointed out on the eve of the match that in five of Germa - ny’s seven games when they lifted the World Cup in 2014 they scored the first goal from set pieces. He had done his maths and Trippier had worked on his angles for his first goal in two-and-ahalf years. It also ended a run of 12 years without England scoring a direct freekick. Another unwanted record demolished by Southgate and his players. For 45 minutes, England played as though they could hear th emillions of supporters in parks and houses and pubs and bars back in their country, cheering them on as though they were actually in the Luzhniki Stadium. They started so fast they were in danger of catching up with themselves. Defender John Stones kept diving and lunging and stretching out limbs to cut out passes and crosses, so much he was basically a human interception.
Where was the fear? Where was the panic? Where was playing like the weight of the occasion was crushing them each into the turf ? It was all terribly unenglish. But it was still to come.
Harry Kane hit the post with a pas- sage of play that had it been performed by Ra he em Sterling would’ ve seen him savaged. Lingard popped a ball through and, with Sterling waiting for a tap-in, Kane shot low; saved by Danijel Subasic. Then, with Sterling still waiting, Kane went for the rebound from a tight angle and hit the upright. The striker was definitely onside but the linesman threw his flag up late, as though to preserve some of the England’s striker’s dignity.
Croatia’s defenders, Dejan Lovren and Domagoj Vida, actually looked scared of Sterling’s pace, like wildebeest warily eyeing a cheetah in the distance, petrified it will come after them.
It appeared Liverpool defender Lovren’s game-plan was to irritate England’s players. He shamelessly hacked down Sterling when the forward easily shimmied past him. He shoved Kane on the half-way line as though he had been waiting for that moment since he was humiliatingly subbed off after 30 min- utes at Wembley when the Spurs striker utterly embarrassed him last season. Lovren surely has some incriminating pictures of Cuneyt Cakir because the referee refused to book him.
Then England did what they hadn’t done in the whole World Cup and lost their composure, when the second half began.
Pickford kept lumping balls up from the back, rather than maintaining the quick, sh rewd passing out. Croatia punished it – it’s what happens in World Cup semi-finals.
Sime Vrsaljko crossed from the right and Ivan Perisic flicked out a boot – near Kyle Walker’s head – and sent the ball under Pickford. England panicked. Perisic hit a post not long after. This Croatia team were supposed be tired after going all the way in the previous two rounds, but they found a second wind, and a third and fourth.
England reached the ref ’s 90-minute whistle like a beaten boxer stumbling
back to his corner. It meant Southgate was able to rub Vaseline on their wounds and soak their faces in water and England actually cooled down in extra time.
Stones thought he had scored when his header beat Subasic but Vrsaljko headed from the line.
B u t t h e n Ma r i o Ma n d z u k i c d i d score, in the second half of extra time. England’s penalty area was not properly cleared and Peresic flicked on a header. Mandzukic lost Stones and tucked the ball past Pickford.
It sent England home, but football isn’t coming with them this year.