Follow along live for England vs. Belgium

England lost, 2-1, to Croatia in the World Cup semifinals on Wednesday. All in all, it was classic World Cup form for the English. Their hope in the shape of a genuinely beautiful free kick goal by Kieran Trippier, a lead that felt like a death sentence, and the creeping, inevitable collapse in extra time. It was English football the way mum made it: Valiant and ultimately futile.

It’s a tricky gig, being a World Cup Dark Horse. There’s a lot to balance. A team has to be dangerous, but cannot be overwhelmingly favoured. They must be interesting without being too obvious. They have to make a splash in the tournament: purr through the groups, perhaps, or knock out somebody big. But they probably shouldn’t win the thing. That would just be embarrassing. So, props to Belgium. They absolutely nailed it.

England lost, 2-1, to Croatia in the World Cup semifinals on Wednesday. All in all, it was classic World Cup form for the English. Their hope in the shape of a genuinely beautiful free kick goal by Kieran Trippier, a lead that felt like a death sentence, and the creeping, inevitable collapse in extra time. It was English football the way mum made it: Valiant and ultimately futile.

It’s a tricky gig, being a World Cup Dark Horse. There’s a lot to balance. A team has to be dangerous, but cannot be overwhelmingly favoured. They must be interesting without being too obvious. They have to make a splash in the tournament: purr through the groups, perhaps, or knock out somebody big. But they probably shouldn’t win the thing. That would just be embarrassing. So, props to Belgium. They absolutely nailed it.