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The delighted din at the final whistle told his own story. England, a team that flirted with relegation as this critical competition was in its final stages, ended a calendar year of resurgence of fashion. This period had already been marked by a semi-final World Cup, a resounding success against Spain in Seville and the progression of young players exciting in senior configuration, but it has now resulted in the success of the League of Nations. Gareth Southgate and his players will play in the first final next summer. This is in itself a success.
How Croatia, demoted in the B Division instead of England, had to shudder to hear "Three Lions" sound above the post-match sound system, a hymn that had recently motivated them to leave the Tannoy . The English had dominated this opportunity only to compete with the race. Even Jesse Lingard's equalizer had not allayed their fears of relegation, despite all this had briefly brought hope to a distant Spain. Yet with five minutes to go, advance the captain to save the day.
Harry Kane actually had the longest scoreless career of his career in England, a white in seven matches that lasted until Colombia in Moscow in the knockout stages of the World Cup. But after Tin Jedvaj made a mistake on Ben Chilwell, the striker managed to cope with the low halfback defeat on the last stretch, as it went out into the penalty area. The ball passed Lovre Kalinic and England, with good reason, had his relief. Being out of this section is impressive, especially as the Spaniard won the first draw here in September and would beat Croatia 6-0 in his next match. Now, there is a weeklong adventure to live in Portugal next June, a semifinal against another group winner and even the possibility of a trophy. More importantly for Southgate, there is another opportunity to move forward.
It was always the rhythm of the hosts that had angered Croatia. Whether it's Raheem Sterling rushing past panicked Domagoj Vida or threatening Marcus Rashford on the opposite side, or the muscle energy Kyle Walker and Chilwell have English had swept over the opposite side. At that moment Ross Barkley's nice rear wheel, evoked in a crowded midfielder eight minutes later, seemed to soothe the nerves. The earlier confusion that gave Ante Rebic an open goal, Jordan Pickford who had slipped to reach Fabian Delph's pass with the chest to present the ball to his opponent, seemed to be exorcised by this flash of confidence. The period that followed should have seen the equality claimed before half an hour.
So many glorious chances have been missed, or at least denied by Lovre Kalinic and his overloaded back line. The goalkeeper did a good job of stifling Sterling's sprint in depth, but it took Jedvaj and Kalinic further to foil Kane's attempts to keep up with the rest of the penalty area. The English captain, unbalanced but released from his goal, had already thwarted a half-volley over John Stones, although it was his return on Dejan Lovren and his heavy pass that had released Sterling. On this occasion, the attacker, upside down and apparently intentional, had chosen not to plead for Rashford who pleaded, Kalinic blocking the shot.
Chilwell's volley, awkwardly bouncing in front of an unobserved Kalinic, was also turned down with Sime Vrsaljko, who did not want to see half an hour before limping, doing well to slip and choke the load from Rashford. This opportunity stems from Pickford's long and precise straight after Croatian pressure. There was a bite and a threat if England was long or were more patient in their game of approach. What they lacked was the breakthrough, and the longer the competition dragged on the missed opportunities, the more likely it was that the visitors, ready to fight for a result, would leap.
Their goal was fleeting, but knowing that they had to score for a chance to progress or survive, Croatia still risked being more pressing. It was a counter-attack that gave his reward, replacing Josip Brekalo exploiting the space in the lower left of England before providing a nice pass to Nikola Vlasic. His fast-catching pass passed the ball to Andrej Kramaric, pushing space early in Kyle Walker to recover near the penalty spot. The attacker turned and returned, seeking an unobstructed view of the goal and dropping Stones and Eric Dier, as well as his opponent. His eventual shot was lifted from Tottenham's midfield for a scary loop past Pickford.
Naturally, everything became rather worried afterwards, the hosts planning to score twice to save the situation and the Croats feeling for an additional reward forever. However, by the time Pickford was trying to push Vida's powerful head back, the home team had at least restored parity. Joe Gomez 'long shot, a rather brutal course at goal given the cleanliness and care given to these unsuccessful unsuccessful attempts, reached Kane at the far post and, although Kalinic dismissed the boost from the crowd. striker, the recently introduced substitute, Lingard, took advantage practically on the goal line. That's how Kane's dramatic finals took place and a victory that put Southgate out. Progress is undeniable. The momentum remains with England.
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