England were knocked out of the World Cup following a 2-1 extra-time defeat to Croatia in the semi-final on this day in 2018.
Gareth Southgate’s youthful squad had travelled to Russia without the weight of expectation on their shoulders, but ignited the nation with a remarkable run to the last four which sparked genuine hope of bringing an end to their wait for tangible success.
Not since Sir Alf Ramsey’s men had lifted the Jules Rimet Trophy at Wembley in 1966 had England got their hands on a major piece of silverware, and the near misses of Italy 90 and Euro 96 had simply increased the hunger.
Having emerged from Group G as runners-up to Belgium, England edged past Colombia on penalties in the last 16 and dispatched Sweden 2-0 in the quarter-finals to set u…