England beat Sweden to reach first World Cup semi-final in 28 years

At the final whistle, the players in red converged one another. Gareth Southgate was locked in a bear hug with his staff and a party was already under way behind the goal to their right. England had booked their place in a World Cup semi-final and it has been so long coming – over a quarter of a century since the last occasion – it was probably just inevitable that they would soon be dancing on the pitch as well as in the stands.

If we were to be picky, a legitimate argument could be made that, yes, England will need to play with more finesse if they really are to harbour serious ambitions. They will have to pass the ball with greater efficiency and maybe, in possession, show a touch more arrogance, in the manner of a side that really believes they can do it. France, for example. Or Belgium.

Continue reading...