The journey matters more than the destination for England

England 1 -Croatia 2

It hurts. And it will keep hurting, for a while. England playing in only their second semi-final since their sole World Cup win in 1966 could not find a way past a robust Croatia, who will take on France Sunday in their first ever World Cup final, an unbelievable achievement for a nation populated by less than 5 million people.

England had a dream start when Trippier lashed a beautiful free-kick past Subasic, and they had the better of the opening 30 minutes, with Harry Kane hitting the post on a 1-on1 that he perhaps should have squared to Sterling (the offside flag was up but presumably VAR would have overturned had it gone in). Raheem Sterling was England’s greatest threat, rampaging around the pitch like it was opening day of the season for much of the first half hour, and England’s attack dissolved when he was substituted on 75 minutes.

In the second half Croatia got a grip of the game. As feared they started to dominate the midfield, and they showed that the fatigue from two exhausting penalty shoot-out wins in earlier rounds was not going to be a deciding factor in this match. England needed an answer for this midfield control, but they didn’t have one. On 65 minutes Vrasljko was given too much time on the right to cross and Perisic got in front of Walker to toe the pall past Pickford. 3 minutes later England hit the post. Croatia could smell blood but England managed to hold on until extra time.

In the first half of extra time both teams had great chances to score. First John Stones, from a corner, guided a header to the top corner only for it to be cleared off the line by Vrasljko. Then just before the whistle Mandzukic ghosted in from a deadly ball from Perisic but was denied by a phenomenal save from Pickford.

After the restart Mandzukic got another chance. He reacted a hundredth of a second quicker than John Stones to a loose ball into the box and the Juve striker slotted it past Pickford for what would prove to be the winner. It was the first foot Stones has remotely put wrong this entire tournament, but it proves how small the margins are at this level.

With various acts of gamesmanship Croatia deflated England until they were a crumpled mess at the final whistle. There can be no doubt who was the better team. Modric was typically enchanting throughout and it is absolutely a joy that we get to see a World Cup Final graced with his participation.

Yes it hurts. But it’s different this time. Gareth Southgate’s appointment was greeted with a general howl of despair. Now he has become an almost Biblical figure, the man who suffered the heartache of missing the penalty that prevented “Football from coming Home” in 1996 to liberate from the trauma of the past, and give fresh hope to this generation of players and fans.

Southgate embodies this new era of football in England. Yes England failed at one of the final hurdles, but gone is the “tragic failure” of the past. Gone is the frantic demand for a scapegoat. It’s all gone because the hope continues to smolder. The constant chorus of “Football’s Coming Home” over the past month started as banter, but generally grew into something that probably became a bit annoying to non-England fans. But for Southgate and his players it never went beyond the banter-stage. From the outset they knew if they executed their game-plan well they could make the quarter finals where they’d come up against Germany or Brazil. The way results went meant they got to face Sweden. England succeeded because of thorough preparation and game-plan, and a composed, stoic, ego-less performance on the field. England lost because they didn’t have players who are creative enough in open play. While he remains manager Southgate will be dedicating time to find ways to rectify this failing in future tournaments. The stellar performance of the England youth teams implies that England will be even stronger in the future. Don’t get me wrong, I would have loved to see England win the World Cup, but I’d much rather see Southgate and the FA develop a truly world-class unit.

But it has still been an incredible journey. I can’t help but think of kids watching it, and remember how I felt during Euro 96, how inspiring and unforgettable this must have been. For me this tournament has been a reminder of the true power of football. There are only 3 or 4 things truly capable of bringing an entire nation together, war, natural disaster or catastrophe, and a run in a World Cup.

It’s true that this tournament has pulled England together. I currently live in North Texas, I’ve watched most of the matches in my cubicle while at work, and I’ve still felt it. I don’t really know what it means. But it’s an example of what most of us generally look for in life, a sense of fellowship. It’s why many of us support football teams in the first place, it’s that yearning to belong to something.

For some it’s hardly more than a bit of fun. For other’s it more meaningful. In Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski’s book ‘Soccernomics’ they show data on how events that pull nations together like war, terrorist attacks, and world cups produce a significant decrease in suicide rate. This England team gave some people in the country a reason to literally to hold onto their lives. For all of us lucky to have experienced something so powerful has been a true joy. Why a watching 22 strangers run around a grass rectangle means so much is absurd, but football really is amazing.

England’s journey, which started with 210 teams competing, England’s final destination was at the penultimate stage. 30 years of hurt, has now been extended to at least 54 years. But here’s the difference. The journey has actually only just begun.