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England bask in World Cup glow as Russia suffer agonising exit
MOSCOW, July 8, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – England celebrated reaching the World Cup
semi-finals for the first time in a generation as Russia came to terms Sunday
with a heartbreaking exit from their own party.
Gareth Southgate’s young team swept Sweden aside 2-0, sparking scenes of
unconfined joy in London and elsewhere as World Cup fever reached new heights
with the country sweltering in a summer heatwave.
“Cancel your plans for Wednesday night – England have reached their first
World Cup semi-final in nearly 30 years,” said the Sun on Sunday.
“The dream goes on! England in ecstasy,” trumpeted the Mail On Sunday.
Leicester defender Harry Maguire headed England ahead in the first half and
Tottenham’s Dele Alli added a second just before the hour as Southgate’s team
enjoyed the lion’s share of possession in Samara.
Man-of-the-match Jordan Pickford made three outstanding saves to keep
Sweden at bay, further burnishing a reputation that has grown throughout the
tournament.
“It’s a great achievement for the team, we owed it to the fans back home
who believed in us,” said Alli. “It’s always nice to score, especially on
occasions like this. It’s an amazing feeling to be going to a semi-final at a
World Cup.”
Captain Harry Kane, who leads the goalscoring charts in Russia with six
strikes, failed to find the net for the first time but said confidence was
high after England posted their best run at a major tournament since Euro
’96.
“We’re buzzing. We know there is still a big game ahead, but we’re feeling
really good,” he said.
Prince William, the president of the Football Association, praised
Southgate’s men.
“You wanted to make history @England and you are doing just that,” he
tweeted. “This has been an incredible #WorldCup run and we’ve enjoyed every
minute. You deserve this moment – Football’s Coming Home!”
Even if Southgate’s team reach the final, William will not attend the match
because of Britain’s diplomatic boycott of the World Cup in Russia over a
nerve agent attack in England this year.
– Russian drama –
In the later match in Sochi, Russia’s fairytale run came to a halt as they
were beaten on penalties by Croatia after 120 gruelling minutes of football.
Russia — the lowest-ranked nation at their own tournament — refused to
die despite enjoying just 36 percent of possession against a superior
Croatian team led by Luka Modric.
Croatia thought they had won the match when Domagoj Vida rose to nod in a
corner in the first period of extra time but Mario Fernandes headed home from
a free-kick to pull Russia level at 2-2.
The host nation, who beat Spain on penalties in the last 16, failed to
convert two of their spot-kicks, leaving Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic with match
point and he made no mistake, sealing a 4-3 win.
Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov lamented that fortune had not smiled on
his side.
“Luck was against us,” Cherchesov said. “My guys feel like conscript
soldiers whose term of service was over just when they were preparing to go
into battle.
“They still want to fight that war.”
Russia Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev called the team’s performance
“magnificent”, saying the tournament would change the face of football in the
host nation.
Croatia, who last reached the semis in 1998, now face the challenge of
trying to recover in time to play England in Moscow on Wednesday after their
second consecutive penalty shootout drained their players of energy.
But Modric said they would be ready to face Southgate’s men.
“We have enough time to rest and prepare well,” said the Real Madrid
midfielder.
“We expect a very difficult, tight and demanding match. Every match at this
World Cup is like that… We have to enjoy the moment, then tomorrow we
prepare for England.”
In the other semi-final, in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday, Belgium, who
conquered Neymar’s Brazil in the quarter-finals, take on France, who saw off
Uruguay.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1133 hrs