Football will not be “coming home this summer” after England’s hopes of a first World Cup trophy since 1966 were dashed by Croatia in Wednesday’s semi-final. The Three Lions, having taken an early lead via Kieran Tripper’s free-kick, saw their fortune turn after an Ivan Perisic equalizer and Mario Mandzukic’s 106th-minute strike snatched the win from their grip.
However, despite the whole English archipelago suffering a heartbreak for the deferred dream, Harry Kane believes the team marshalled by Gareth Southgate is destined for greater things in the near future.
"We know we've done everyone proud and we wanted to win it. It hurts. We can be up here," the Three Lions captain told ITV after the game.
"The next step is to go one further. We want more. We're gutted.
"We have to dust ourselves down, be proud of what we've done and go again in a couple of years," Kane added.
To everyone who supported us.
— England (@England) July 11, 2018
To everyone who believed this time was different.
To everyone who wasn't afraid to dream.
To everyone who knows this is only the beginning.
Thank you. We hope we made you proud. #threelions pic.twitter.com/jH8lYMB2E0
"This is a great foundation we have built with the gaffer [Gareth Southgate], we are proud of what we have achieved but we wanted more and are sad we couldn't give our fans a final."
England will take on fellow group stage opponent and neighbor Belgium in the third-place play-off on July 14 before France and Croatia go head-to-head in the final the following day.
