The England squad have been dubbed heroes by the media on the morning after they crashed out of the World Cup semi-final, losing 2-1 to Croatia in extra time.
Despite what is a devastating loss for Gareth Southgate and his team, not to mention supporters, many front pages focussed on how far England made it through the tournament and the sense of national pride they instilled in the public.
Wednesday night’s game was England’s first semi-final in 28 years, after the 1990 squad were defeated by West Germany in a penalty shoot-out.
The Times and The Guardian said it was the “end of the dream” while i said “Southgate’s team will still return as heroes after superb World Cup effort”.
Many of the photos show the players embracing Southgate. Others show the team clapping and thanking the fans amid the disappointment.
2014 World Cup
The front pages are in stark contrast to how England’s performance was portrayed in 2014, when the team were knocked out in the group stages – the first time since 1958.
The story barely featured on the front of some papers.
On the Daily Express’ front page, the news was overshadowed by a story of a benefits claimant.
2010 World Cup
And eight years previously, when Germany beat England 4-1 in South Africa, depriving them of reaching the final eight, the general consensus in the media appeared to be that England were outplayed.
The national pride of the tournament certainly seemed to have been omitted from the front pages.
The Daily Telegraph said losing to Germany was “England’s worst World Cup defeat”. It also ran the headline “48 years of pain… and counting,” referencing the only time England have won the trophy, which was in 1966.
The 2018 squad will now face Belgium on Saturday for the third-place play-off.
Croatia will take on France in the final on Sunday.
Read more World Cup 2018 news:
Where it all went wrong for England against Croatia
World Cup Golden Boot race – in full: The standings at Russia 2018 so far
England World Cup fixtures 2018: Third-place play-off opponents and kick-off time
The post ‘We’re proud of you all’: How the British media reacted to England’s World Cup exit appeared first on iNews.
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