UEFA Nations League: England World Cup glee punctured by homecoming loss to Spain
Football | September 09, 2018 9:37 ISTThe football fervor that swept through England during June and July was punctured by a 2-1 loss to Spain.
The football fervor that swept through England during June and July was punctured by a 2-1 loss to Spain.
Both Vardy and Cahill want to give England coach Gareth Southgate the opportunity to look at younger players ahead of the European Championship in 2020.
Thomas Meunier and Eden Hazard scored a goal each for the Belgians, who lost to France in the semifinals on Tuesday.
The third-placed match has often been criticised by many as the two nations who couldn't reach the finals, fight for a bronze medal on Saturday before the finals at Moscow.
England came very close on Wednesday. For more than an hour, Gareth Southgate's young team led Croatia before the weary, aging opposition sprung back into life at the Luzhniki Stadium.
Croatia have played two matches consecutively which has led to penalties and with injuries lurking around, the coach believes that they have something special lined up for England.
Ambitions appeared to be thwarted for so long by a culture of entitlement as England gloried in the hype of being the birthplace of soccer without backing it up with results.
Harry Maguire and Dele Alli scored with headers in a 2-0 win over Sweden on Saturday, earning England a match against either Croatia or host nation Russia for a place in the final.
Harry Maguire and Dele Alli scored with headers in a 2-0 win over Sweden on Saturday, earning England a match against either Croatia or host nation Russia for a place in the final.
England finally put their penalty jinx behind them on Tuesday when they beat Colombia and will be favourites to make it into the last four.
England won a penalty shootout after a feisty, physical round-of-16 game finished 1-1 following extra time and with eight yellow cards handed out by the referee.
Southgate embraced his own public humiliation to help the current generation of players prepare to cope with setbacks.
England have shown themselves to be a huge threat from set pieces with six of the eight goals they have scored in Russia scored from dead-ball situations.
On the win, the United midfielder wa content but has cautioned his Belgian teammates on the situations getting tougher as they advance onto the knockout phase.
Belgium and England have already qualified for the last 16 — only the group winner needs to be decided.
Kane's three goals moved him into the lead with five at this year's tournament, one more than Cristiano Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku after two games.
The last time England progressed to the quarter-finals was in 2006, David Beckham was the captain at that time.
Kane scored in the opening ten minutes of the match and scored the winner in injury time against Tunisia to give England a decent start.
Spain beat Portugal at the 2010 World Cup, and again in the semifinals of the 2012 European Championship, going on to win the tournament both times.
The victory came four years after England drew 0-0 with Costa Rica as they slumped out of the World Cup 2014 in the group stage.
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