England and Croatia have the chance to ban semi-blues

England and Croatia have not participated in a World Cup semi-final since 1990 and 1998.

Croatia is in its first World Cup semifinal since 1998. (Reuters photo)

REPINO: Two nations waiting for years To correct the bitter memories of the defeats of the semi-finals of the World Cup will meet Wednesday in Moscow with the chance to go even more far.

The last appearance of England at this stage was in 1990 when they lost in a shooting session on goal. Germany in Turin, while eight years later, in its first World Cup as an independent nation, Croatia lost against the hosts and the eventual winners of France.

While many outsiders see the unexpected Croatians as a great success, many countries share the view of team coach Miroslav Blažević that it was a missed opportunity.

England has also left Italy 28 years ago thinking that the team of Gary Lineker and Paul Gascoigne

But neither of the two parties is d & # 39; Mood to nostalgia or to use the past as motivation.

While Croatian players, constantly questioned about the 1998 generation, never fail to express their admiration for tastes. Zvonimir Boban and Davor Šuker, these comparisons are a weight they consider useless.

"We are not putting more pressure on ourselves with what happened in 1998," said midfielder Ivan Rakitić. but we want to continue to write our own story and enjoy what we do, which is very positive. "

The loss of England in 1990 has been turned into a documentary film and has become a mythical part of the country."

But on Monday, defender Ashley Young was eager to help.

"We focus on what is happening now, not on what has happened in the past, we look forward to the future," Young said.

No team n & # 39, came to Russia to be considered a favorite, but she produced performances throughout the competition which showed that they were underestimated by the experts. 0 victory over Argentina in the group stage was a clear signal that the team led by midfielder Luka Modrić was a real threat with their passage and their intelligent move

In their quarterfinal match against Russia, the Croatians, eager to draw with the Russians for 120 minutes before keeping calm and winning the shootout in a partisan atmosphere.

England, who made a good impression with a 6: 1 crushing Panama in the group stage, then defeated Colombia in the round of 32 and seemed satisfied and mature in the 2- 0 in the quarterfinals against Sweden.

Given that Croatia has had time and penalties to get up, England should come in. The game is cooler, and they also have the advantage in previous matches, winning four of their seven games, including a 5-1 win in their last game – a World Cup qualifier match in 2009.