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- Gareth Southgate's England develops a new self-confidence
- The nation rediscovers its pbadion for international football
- Unexpectedly, Croatia increases in strength through the semifinal
By Laure James with England
England and its fans had begun to dream of a final centerpiece with geographical neighbors France. They played their smoothest football in the tournament and Kieran Trippier, who was close to his first international goal in weeks, combined precision and composure for a sublime opening match.
But the three Lions ran fast empty. And let it be, the panic of watching their dreams of the FIFA World Cup ™ disappear, or the fact that one of the least experienced teams in the competition can not grow quickly in the global education system will be a painful period of introspection for this young group of players.
Of course, what will be easier to look back, are the qualities of the new England: this side, brave enough to write his own story, made it in indelible ink. They have been murderers with plays, have deployed a modern system that plays on their strengths and have proven themselves capable and untroubled in game management. Their team spirit was inspiring.
Records were broken, including the biggest margin ever seen in the country for a World Cup win, and Harry Kane is still on track to lift the adidas Golden Boot. For the 24-year-old captain who has emerged from an emotionally and physically private cloakroom, however, it will be a small consolation. For the first and probably the last time, he turns to the recent past for comfort.
"It shows that we can be up there," Kane said. "This shows that we can win knockout matches, this shows that we can reach the semi-finals, which is an excellent base that we have built over the last few years with the gaffer, and we have to continue to We are proud of what we have accomplished, but we want more.We are sad that we can not give fans here and at home a final.
"It's hard. We are emptied, you know. We worked so hard. I'm sure we could have done better, but we worked as hard as we could. It hurts, it will hurt for a while, but we can keep our heads up.
"Maybe we fell too low sometimes, in big games, there is little margin, we could have done better, but they played well, we fell a little down, it hurts winning the knockout games, the next step is to go further.We have to dust ourselves off and go back in a few years. "
In the end, their supporters were motivated by the fact that they were not going to win. England for success, and like thousands of joy The goal of Trippier was a direct free kick (the first of an English player since David Beckham against Ecuador in 2006), the feeling was that the nation had regained his pbadion for international football, not felt for almost thirty years. in the stands for an hour after the final whistle, singing and celebrating a new era and a promising future.
Croatia prevented England from doing what she was good at, space was reduced to a minimum The wings of England were sitting eeper, in anticipation of a counter attack.
Moreover, rather than fearing fatigue as the game grew, the team that had gone through two shots on goal to reach the semi-final became stronger. Ivan Perisic became more determined, Luca Modric dictated the pace in midfield, and while Raheem Sterling took over Dejan Lovren, the Croatian defense had enough presence to prevent England's front-run line-up. get a lot of shots.
not yet the finished product. But they have not only written the first chapters of their new story, but a model for the generation that will follow them.
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