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England has not been in a final since 1966, Croatia has never been. Both Longer have one goal: Off to the final.
05:50, 11 July 2018
The two teams did not participate in any World Cup semi-finals this millennium. For England and Croatia on Wednesday (20:00 CEST / live ORF a) at Luschniki Stadium in Moscow offers a historic opportunity. Four days later, the World Cup trophy will be awarded. Both teams are only one step away from the grand final
It would only be the second FIFA World Cup finals after 1966 for the homeland of football, while the English won the title in their own country. Since then, there are many quotes "52 years of harm" (52 years of injury) that should end in Russia. One of the hardest moments was the last semi-final of the 1990 World Cup, on penalties against Germany.
At the 1996 European Championship, the current boss Gareth Southgate himself, the semifinal against the Germans awarded the sixth decisive penalty. His calm leadership style remains the 47-year-old but also faithful to the duel with Croatia. "None of us is satisfied and no one is particularly energetic," said Southgate. "It will be a very balanced match where we will have to make sure we control what we can control."
The excellent Croatian midfielder Luka Modric and are the most important players Ivan Rakitic . Zlatko Dalic describes his axis as "the best midfielder of the tournament". In addition, the Croats put in comparison with the previous opponents of England to more possession of football. The British offensive forces Dele Alli Raheem Sterling and Jesse Lingard will therefore be particularly defensive at Jordan Henderson not alone in the middle of the midfield
Henderson is the lucky charm of England
Southgate does not want to give up its starting lineup, which has already eliminated Colombia (on penalties) and Sweden (2-0) in knockout phase . He should also continue to trust Raheem Sterling, who is in the backlog because of his scorching at home. The Manchester City striker has not met in the English team since October 2015. In 42 international matches, there are only two goals to book. "Raheem is fundamental to the way we play," Southgate praised but his manners and his agility.
For the scoring purpose in England anyway another responsible – Harry Kane . The captain leads with six goals the list of championship shooters. No less because of him, the "Three Lions" against Croatia are considered a slight favorite. Even Henderson is a lucky charm: with the Liverpool captain on the field, England has lost none of the last 30 games, the longest run of invincibility of any English player