Reflecting on England's World Cup campaign

On Wednesday evening, the entire country came to a standstill, as the England team competing in the World Cup was just one game away from playing in the final for only the second time in history.

It was unusual seeing England progress thus far, having not won a knockout game in 12 years, let alone reach the semi-final of a major tournament.

At a time where news is dominated by political issues, Gareth Southgate and his fearless young lions gave a sense of pride in all regions at home and reignited the love for the national team.

Croatia comeback to end football's journey home

Croatia was the final hurdle. It also represented the first real test the Three Lions faced in the competition against other elite level teams (excluding Belgium's second string).

Kieran Trippier channelled his inner David Beckham to kick-start the semi-final with a delightful free-kick. The remaining duration of the first half saw England threaten to find the net again, with Harry Kane and Jesse Lingard both squandering opportunities to double the lead. The misses proved to be costly.

A tactical change at the break from the Croatians saw Luka Modric and co. grow in stature in the second period. 22 minutes was all that was left for England to protect a slender one-goal lead and progress into the World Cup final but, on the 68th minute, Ivan Perisic beat Kyle Walker to a cross and turned in the equalizer for The Blazers, taking the game into extra time where Mario Mandzukic caught the defenders napping and ruthlessly took advantage and sent Gareth Southgate's men out of the competition.

Just like at Italia '90, England fell at the semi-final stage of the World Cup. Meaning, in this particular event, football had not come home. But a young group of national heroes will return to Britain at the welcome of a sympathetic yet proud nation.

Southgate reinstalls belief in the team

It must be said that before Gareth Southgate won the hearts of the nation, many were not confident that he could be the one to end 52 years of hurt. A charismatic man but relatively inexperienced manager, Southgate was appointed boss by The FA following the incident of Sam Allardyce, which is a story for another day.

With the playing days of the so-called 'golden generation' over or coming to an end, Southgate selected a new look squad, led by captain Harry Kane, England's youngest skipper at the tournament since the legendary Bobby Moore.

The relaxed nature of Southgate had spread onto his players who publicly presented cohesion on social media channels, which may have helped relationships on the pitch - something that was admittedly the downfall of the 'golden generation' of almost a decade ago.

"Southgate you're the one" rung around the arena when England contested each game, which highlighted another connection created, this time between the national side and its fans, not evident under the reigns of his predecessors.

But, has progress been made?

Many were quick to argue against claims that the England side had shown progress, justifying their reasons by assessing the opponents England faced on route to the semis.

Tunisia were beaten in injury-time by Kane's header whilst Panama were put to the sword in the following fixture, before England (B) fell to Belgium (B) in the group stage.

England then required penalties to beat a James Rodriguez-less Colombia in the round of 16 which set up a meeting with Sweden in the quarters, ending comfortably in a 2-0 win.

But, even if Tunisia and Panama are seen as weak opponents, England sides have tended to fall to the underdog, exiting their last major tournament Euro 2016 after unexpectedly losing to Iceland.

This side also achieved a first in winning a World Cup penalty shootout, again something that others have failed to do so in 1990, 1998, and 2006 editions of the tournament. Credit must be given where it is due.

Eventually, after losing in the semi-finals, England had to settle for fourth-place...

Belgium pip England to the bronze medal

England met Belgium in the third-place playoff fixture the day before the FIFA World Cup final. Despite some personalities criticising the need of this game in the past, Southgate and opposing manager Roberto Martinez opted for strong starting teams, unlike their meeting in the group stage.

But the Belgians remained too strong for England in their second meeting and took an early lead when Meunier met Nacer Chadli's cross. A lack of chances in the first half saw Southgate replace Sterling and Rose with Rashford and Lingard to provide a spark, but the Mancunian duo failed to do so and Hazard ensured victory eight minutes from the end.

So, Southgate and his staff led England to fourth place at the World Cup, their joint-second best finish, after losing the third-place playoff game to Belgium 2-0.

Yet, a bright future lies ahead

As Roy Keane and Gary Neville mentioned on ITV's coverage of the semi-final, many players of the squad had not won a major trophy and it would be unlikely that their first is a World Cup.

Reaching as far as England did, gives experience for future tournaments, adding to the optimism it creates among fans who will have high expectations ahead of Euro 2020 and World Cup 2022, where the youngsters of this squad such as Alli, Rashford and Pickford will be hitting their peak and can take England one step further.

Croatia v England: Semi Final - 2018 FIFA World Cup