Confident England reach first World Cup semi-final in 28 years

"We had to withstand a lot of physical pressure," said England coach Gareth Southgate. "The resilience of the team and togetherness of the team today was crucial. Today our spirit was as good as theirs and our quality a little bit better."

The fans who serenaded their side at the Samara Arena stayed long after fulltime to herald the achievement, knowing that with so many of the favorites having departed, England have arguably their best chance of global glory in more than half a century.