Croatia beat England 2 – 1 in the World Cup semi final on Wednesday night, ending a potential unlikely hero story.
It was England’s first World Cup semi final in 28 years. For all intents and purposes, this England team have hugely outperformed expectations. A favorable draw opened up a path to the semi final. Win the semi final and after that, who knows?
However, it proved to be Croatia’s night. Despite low expectations before the tournament began, it was a tough blow to take for the England players and fans.
This World Cup represents a rebirth for English football on the national stage. A group of young and relatively humble players formed a team that won the support of their country. It was a generation unburdened by the ridiculously high expectations of the English population.
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They were also unburdened by the pessimism that plagued English football for years. The current generation of fans and players have little to no memory of past disappointments. This fact, along with Gareth Southgate’s leadership allowed them to give a good account of themselves. The same can’t be said of previous England sides that had better players to call on.
Speaking to BBC’s World Cup Daily Podcast, Gareth Southgate reflected on the experiences of his squad during this World Cup.
“I think we know the team we brought was the most inexperienced team in the competition. So they only way we’re going to gain those experiences is by playing in the matches in this tournament and the performing under pressure that we had.
“It’s incredibly painful for us at the moment. But I’m immensely proud of the players for what they’ve done. I’m proud of the players for how they’ve played and the strides they’ve taken. I think we saw the reaction of the supporters at the end and they felt the same.
“It’s very difficult to say anything to make them feel better at this moment. They will, as they gain experience and recognize and be able to see those moments in games through. But also that they’ve now experienced that playing with England can be a memorable experience. They don’t get the reaction that they got from fans at the end without the supporters knowing that they’ve given everything.”
France are 10/11 favorites to win the World Cup final, which takes place on Sunday.
