by Chris Nee

11th July 2018 started as an ordinary day at ening no Uruguay, Portugal, France, Argenti- Jesse Lingard and Harry Maguire extended the height of the English summer. Close but na, Brazil or Mexico until the final. the Croatian wall on the penalty spot, dwarf- barely sunlit, morning eased into afternoon ing Luka Modrić. At the other end of the six- and distraction took hold of a nation. The collective imagination was ignited and man barrier were Jordan Henderson and the manner of England's win in that Round of Dele Alli, ready to open the gap that Trippier A continent away Gareth Southgate's Eng- 16 tie only served to fan the flames. didn't need. land team were being readied for their sixth match at FIFA World Cup 2018, their first England winning a World Cup penalty shoot- His strike was nerveless, his technique major tournament semi-final for 22 years and out was truly cathartic. We cried tears of joy unwavering. The ball curled over the top of the first in a World Cup for six more. as countless ghosts were purged by one the wall, far beyond the desperate left hand horribly scuffed penalty kick and a single iron of goalkeeper Danijel Subašić and into the It was a rare unifying phenomenon in a fist. top corner. divided nation. England supporters were joined in feverish anticipation by millions That England won that night, that way, might It was a goal of practised precision and more. make it the obvious candidate to be the peak flawless visual poetry. The arc of the ball. of their World Cup. Obvious, but wrong. The despairing, futile reach of Subašić. The Perhaps more than any England team since camera angles. Every aspect combined to 1996 their backing was deserved. The real summit was reached not in victory, immortalise Croatia 0-1 England. Gone was a generation of players who but in defeat. disappointed supporters and reviled outsid- Trippier watched carefully, just to make sure, ers, wrongly identified symbols of football's For all the testimony before and since that and then tore away, jubilant, flanked by perceived flaws and excesses. Zlatko Dalić's Croatia were motivated by Young. Lingard made a late attempt to reach English arrogance it was in fact their ability to the knee-sliding scorer before him, only for In their stead, something special. Southgate's identify and exploit England's weaknesses captain Harry Kane to appear from nowhere squad thrived on diversity and yet won over a that earned their place in the World Cup final. to gazump them both. public in the midst of a schism that had multiculturalism at its heart. Croatia were smarter, more experienced, The ecstasy of that goal is frozen in time. The more technical than England. They weren't national team might never see another pile- As England the nation split over every issue beneficiaries in common of a favourable side on like it and that explosion of emotion was from membership of the European Union and of the draw; they were the reason it wasn't replicated in the houses, streets and beer- climate change to political correctness and really favourable in the first place. misty fan parks of home. veganism, England the football team - repre- sentative, vibrant and fiercely proud of it - But for one tense, terrifying, captivating hour That feeling hasn't yet been forgotten and it proved an unlikely oasis. England were in the lead in a World Cup never should be. semi-final. Funny thing, football. It was a wonderful goal, an impressive feat of What followed - England's wasted chances, character in its full context, and it meant that England's progress through the World Cup Croatia's equaliser and extra time winner - England were, at least in that split-second somehow combined ease and exorcism. destroyed the potency of England's opening between the ball crossing the line and hitting goal. They'll never diminish the moment. the net, able to dream of a World Cup final. A stoppage time winner against Tunisia broke a habit of starting tournaments poorly. The It's a mark of their affection for Southgate's When Mario Mandžukić tucked in the most demolition of Panama was a welcome sur- 2018 squad that England supporters are able Mandžukić of winning goals deep into extra prise after decades of labouring against to remember Kieran Trippier's goal that night time the heartbreak was real. limited opposition. for what it was, what it meant then and there, when they could just as easily forget it for So too was the unbelievable high of Trippier's They lost to Belgium in a strange third match what it wasn't. goal. Defeat be damned. played between second-string sides, a result that dropped England into what had been The head hadn't yet settled on the Boxpark A broken nation roars as one to salute an all- branded The Easy Side of the Draw despite a beers before England struck. time great England moment. An adidas daunting Second Round date with Colombia. They won an early free kick and Trippier Telstar 18 ball bends eternally towards a net stood over the ball, three yards outside the D it will never reach. England supporters worn by history knew that and slightly right of centre. Ashley Young a win couldn't be taken for granted even as loitered without intent. Pure. Perfect. Forever unspoiled by the the casual fans celebrated a bracket threat- nuisance of its own future.