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An Impossible Man


CFuller

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You should know by now that I'm not a writer who does things by halves. As such, I've posted up the squads for all 32 teams at the 2018 World Cup. I've hid them all under spoilers for each group, otherwise this post would be incredibly long. :D

GROUP A: Russia (hosts), Jamaica, Ghana, Croatia

Spoiler

RUSSIA


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Igor Akinfeev             GK                    08/04/1986 (32)  CSKA Moscow          112    0      6'1"   12st 12lbs £5.25M 
2      Mário Fernandes           D/WB (R)              19/09/1990 (27)  CSKA Moscow          17     0      6'2"   12st 8lbs  £16.25M
3      Georgy Schennikov         D (L)                 27/04/1991 (27)  CSKA Moscow          17     0      5'11"  11st 13lbs £4.9M  
4      Vasily Berezutskiy        D (C)                 20/06/1982 (35)  CSKA Moscow          104    5      6'2"   13st 12lbs £850K  
5      Roman Neustädter          D (C), DM, M (C)      18/02/1988 (30)  Zenit                19     0      6'2"   12st 10lbs £9.75M 
6      Oleg Shatov               M (C), AM (RLC)       29/07/1990 (27)  Zenit                44     3      5'8"   11st 6lbs  £8.5M  
7      Pavel Mamaev              M (RC), AM (RLC)      17/09/1988 (29)  Krasnodar            29     1      5'10"  11st 0lbs  £2.7M  
8      Daler Kuzyaev             DM, M/AM (C)          15/01/1993 (25)  Terek                2      0      5'11"  11st 2lbs  £3M    
9      Dmitry Kombarov           D/WB/M (L)            22/01/1987 (31)  Spartak Moscow       52     2      6'0"   11st 6lbs  £1.8M  
10     Alan Dzagoev              DM, M (C)             17/06/1990 (27)  CSKA Moscow          70     10     5'10"  11st 11lbs £17.75M
11     Alexandr Kokorin          AM (RLC), ST (C)      19/03/1991 (27)  Zenit                56     13     6'0"   12st 1lb   £3.7M  
12     Artem Dzyuba              ST (C)                22/08/1988 (29)  Zenit                26     9      6'5"   14st 4lbs  £3.3M  
13     Yury Lodygin              GK                    26/05/1990 (28)  Zenit                11     0      6'2"   12st 12lbs £4.4M  
14     Soslan Djanaev            GK                    13/03/1987 (31)  Rostov               0      0      6'3"   13st 9lbs  £1.8M  
15     Fedor Smolov              ST (C)                09/02/1990 (28)  Krasnodar            38     13     6'2"   12st 8lbs  £19.5M 
16     Denis Cheryshev           M/AM (L)              26/12/1990 (27)  Sporting             30     6      5'10"  11st 9lbs  £11.75M
17     Vyacheslav Karavaev       D (R)                 20/05/1995 (23)  Spartak Moscow       11     0      5'9"   10st 1lb   £9.75M 
18     Alexandr Golovin          DM, M (C), AM (RLC)   30/05/1996 (22)  CSKA Moscow          18     4      5'11"  10st 12lbs £2.9M  
19     Ilja Kutepov              D (C)                 29/07/1993 (24)  Spartak Moscow       19     1      6'4"   13st 5lbs  £3.2M  
20     Alexey Miranchuk          M/AM (C), ST (C)      17/10/1995 (22)  Lokomotiv Moscow     18     2      6'0"   11st 9lbs  £3.2M  
21     Andrey Semenov            D (C)                 24/03/1989 (29)  Zenit                6      0      6'3"   13st 7lbs  £2.9M  
22     Alexey Ionov              M/AM (R), ST (C)      18/02/1989 (29)  Dinamo Moscow        21     1      5'10"  10st 9lbs  £2.2M  
23     Sergey Bryzgalov          D (LC), DM            15/11/1992 (25)  Arsenal Tula         5      0      5'11"  11st 13lbs £1.9M  

JAMAICA


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Duwayne Kerr              GK                    16/01/1987 (31)  Chennai              12     0      6'6"   14st 2lbs  £31.5K 
2      Alvas Powell              D (R)                 18/07/1994 (23)  Portland             44     1      6'0"   11st 13lbs £3M    
3      Kemar Lawrence            D/WB (L)              17/09/1992 (25)  NY Red Bulls         33     2      5'10"  11st 0lbs  £1.8M  
4      Wes Morgan                D (C)                 21/01/1984 (34)  Leicester            49     1      6'1"   14st 9lbs  £775K  
5      Michael Hector            D/M (C)               19/07/1992 (25)  Hull                 32     2      6'4"   12st 12lbs £6.25M 
6      Garath McCleary           AM (RL)               15/05/1987 (31)  Reading              41     8      5'10"  12st 6lbs  £4.6M  
7      Leon Bailey               M/AM (RL)             09/08/1997 (20)  Leverkusen           24     2      6'0"   12st 3lbs  £21.5M 
8      Daniel Johnson            M/AM (C)              08/10/1992 (25)  Rubin                18     0      5'9"   10st 7lbs  £5.5M  
9      Dwight Gayle              ST (C)                17/10/1989 (28)  Newcastle            17     12     5'10"  11st 6lbs  £10M   
10     Kemar Roofe               AM (RL), ST (C)       06/01/1993 (25)  Minnesota            1      0      5'10"  11st 2lbs  £1.2M  
11     Dever Orgill              ST (C)                08/03/1990 (28)  Wolfsberger AC       32     14     6'0"   12st 8lbs  £725K  
12     Giles Barnes              AM (RLC), ST (C)      05/08/1988 (29)  Philadelphia         27     5      6'2"   13st 7lbs  £825K  
13     Andre Blake               GK                    21/11/1990 (27)  Philadelphia         41     0      6'1"   12st 3lbs  £2.1M  
14     Jacomeno Barrett          GK                    03/12/1984 (33)  Montego Bay Utd      5      0      6'4"   13st 9lbs  £130   
15     Rodolph Austin            DM, M (C)             01/06/1985 (33)  IFK Göteborg         101    7      6'0"   13st 3lbs  £29.5K 
16     Simon Dawkins             M (L), AM (LC)        01/12/1987 (30)  San Jose             26     3      5'10"  11st 2lbs  £1.1M  
17     Darren Mattocks           AM (RL), ST (C)       02/09/1990 (27)  Minnesota            18     3      6'0"   11st 11lbs £3.1M  
18     Renae Lloyd               M/AM (C)              22/06/1987 (30)  Incheon              15     0      6'0"   11st 13lbs £52K   
19     Daniel Gordon             D (C)                 16/01/1985 (33)  Sandhausen           6      1      6'4"   12st 10lbs £200K  
20     Oneil Fisher              D (RL)                22/11/1991 (26)  Houston              5      0      5'9"   11st 2lbs  £775K  
21     Shaun Cummings            D (RL)                25/02/1989 (29)  Alanyaspor           14     0      6'0"   12st 1lb   £375K  
22     Ricardo Morris            M/AM (LC)             11/02/1992 (26)  Jeonnam              14     0      5'11"  11st 0lbs  £215K  
23     Jermaine Taylor           D (RLC)               14/01/1985 (33)  Auxerre              89     1      5'10"  13st 12lbs £33K   

GHANA


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Fatau Dauda               GK                    06/04/1985 (33)  Ashanti Gold         24     0      5'11"  12st 6lbs  £190K  
2      Harrison Afful            D/WB (R)              24/06/1986 (31)  Columbus             65     0      5'6"   9st 10lbs  £600K  
3      Kwadwo Asamoah            D/WB (L), DM, M (LC)  09/12/1988 (29)  Juventus             85     5      5'8"   11st 11lbs £16M   
4      Daniel Opare              D/WB (R)              18/10/1990 (27)  Augsburg             31     0      5'9"   11st 9lbs  £2.4M  
5      Jonathan Mensah           D (RC)                13/07/1990 (27)  Columbus             68     1      6'2"   13st 0lbs  £3.1M  
6      Ebenezer Ofori            DM, M (C)             01/07/1995 (22)  Stuttgart            11     1      5'8"   11st 0lbs  £6.5M  
7      Alfred Duncan             DM, M (C)             10/03/1993 (25)  Napoli               15     1      5'10"  12st 3lbs  £25.5M 
8      Bernard Mensah            M/AM (C)              17/10/1994 (23)  Las Palmas           6      1      5'11"  11st 6lbs  £2.5M  
9      Kwesi Appiah              AM (C), ST (C)        12/08/1990 (27)  Preston              21     4      5'11"  12st 8lbs  £2.2M  
10     Jordan Ayew               AM (R), ST (C)        11/09/1991 (26)  Espanyol             55     24     6'0"   12st 10lbs £13.5M 
11     Majeed Waris              AM (L), ST (C)        19/09/1991 (26)  Lorient              35     8      5'8"   11st 4lbs  £3.4M  
12     Baba Rahman               D/WB (L)              02/07/1994 (23)  Chelsea              37     1      5'10"  11st 0lbs  £13M   
13     Ernest Sowah              GK                    31/03/1988 (30)  CS Don Bosco         1      0      5'11"  11st 6lbs  £235K  
14     Stephen Ahorlu            GK                    05/09/1988 (29)  Heart of Lions       1      0      6'1"   13st 5lbs  £130K  
15     André Ayew                M (RL), AM (RLC)      17/12/1989 (28)  West Ham             77     21     5'9"   11st 4lbs  £9.75M 
16     Afriyie Acquah            DM, M (C)             05/01/1992 (26)  Torino               33     1      5'10"  11st 0lbs  £1.9M  
17     Richard Boateng           D (L)                 25/11/1988 (29)  TP Mazembe           8      0      6'0"   11st 13lbs £700K  
18     Emmanuel Badu             DM, M (C)             02/12/1990 (27)  Udinese              85     12     5'9"   11st 0lbs  £2.9M  
19     Rashid Sumaila            D (C)                 18/12/1992 (25)  Qadsia               8      0      6'5"   13st 12lbs £700K  
20     Raphael Dwamena           AM (L), ST (C)        12/09/1995 (22)  Zürich               2      0      6'0"   12st 10lbs £2.3M  
21     Isaac Vorsah              D (C)                 21/06/1988 (29)  Al-Ahly              43     1      6'4"   13st 5lbs  £155K  
22     Gideon Baah               D (LC), WB (L)        01/10/1991 (26)  NY Red Bulls         3      0      6'0"   13st 3lbs  £2.8M  
23     Emmanuel Clottey          AM (C), ST (C)        30/08/1987 (30)  Botoşani             16     3      5'7"   11st 4lbs  £525K  

CROATIA


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Lovre Kalinic             GK                    03/04/1990 (28)  AA Gent              4      0      6'7"   15st 1lb   £6.75M 
2      Ivan Mocinic              DM, M (C)             30/04/1993 (25)  Atalanta             3      0      5'11"  11st 4lbs  £5.75M 
3      Sime Vrsaljko             D (RL), WB/M (R)      10/01/1992 (26)  Atlético             40     0      6'0"   11st 11lbs £8.75M 
4      Duje Caleta-Car           D (C)                 17/09/1996 (21)  Red Bull Salzburg    0      0      6'2"   13st 5lbs  £825K  
5      Dejan Lovren              D (C)                 05/07/1989 (28)  Liverpool            47     2      6'3"   13st 3lbs  £15M   
6      Ivan Perisic              M (L), AM (RLC)       02/02/1989 (29)  Inter                70     24     6'1"   12st 6lbs  £19.25M
7      Josip Brekalo             M/AM (RL)             23/06/1998 (19)  Stuttgart            8      2      5'9"   11st 2lbs  £2.2M  
8      Andrej Kramaric           M/AM (L), ST (C)      19/06/1991 (26)  Hoffenheim           30     7      5'10"  11st 6lbs  £12.25M
9      Ivan Santini              ST (C)                21/05/1989 (29)  Caen                 2      0      6'3"   13st 9lbs  £4.7M  
10     Mateo Kovacic             DM, M/AM (C)          06/05/1994 (24)  Real Madrid          47     4      5'10"  12st 1lb   £32M   
11     Nikola Kalinic            ST (C)                05/01/1988 (30)  Fiorentina           43     15     6'2"   12st 8lbs  £6.25M 
12     Ivan Rakitic              DM, M/AM (C)          10/03/1988 (30)  Barcelona            99     18     6'0"   12st 3lbs  £21.5M 
13     Danijel Subasic           GK                    27/10/1984 (33)  Monaco               41     0      6'3"   13st 3lbs  £4.1M  
14     Luka Modric               DM, M/AM (C)          09/09/1985 (32)  Real Madrid          109    11     5'8"   10st 1lb   £4.3M  
15     Dominik Livakovic         GK                    09/01/1995 (23)  Dinamo               0      0      6'2"   12st 6lbs  £2.3M  
16     Tin Jedvaj                D (RLC), WB (R)       28/11/1995 (22)  Leverkusen           14     0      6'0"   12st 8lbs  £10M   
17     Mario Mandzukic           AM (L), ST (C)        21/05/1986 (32)  Juventus             88     36     6'3"   13st 5lbs  £3.9M  
18     Marcelo Brozovic          DM, M/AM (C)          16/11/1992 (25)  Inter                36     5      5'11"  10st 9lbs  £24M   
19     Milan Badelj              DM, M (C)             25/02/1989 (29)  Fiorentina           39     1      6'1"   11st 13lbs £8.75M 
20     Domagoj Vida              D (RLC)               29/04/1989 (29)  Napoli               58     1      6'0"   11st 6lbs  £14M   
21     Vedran Corluka            D (C)                 31/03/1986 (32)  Lokomotiv Moscow     97     4      6'4"   13st 3lbs  £1.7M  
22     Jeremy Toljan             D/WB (RL)             08/08/1994 (23)  Hoffenheim           5      0      6'0"   11st 13lbs £7M    
23     Ivan Strinic              D/WB/M (L)            17/07/1987 (30)  Napoli               55     0      6'1"   12st 3lbs  £2.9M  

 


GROUP B: France, Mexico, Tunisia, Switzerland

Spoiler

FRANCE


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Hugo Lloris               GK                    26/12/1986 (31)  Tottenham            100    0      6'2"   12st 3lbs  £17.5M 
2      Corentin Tolisso          D/WB (R), DM, M (C)   03/08/1994 (23)  Man Utd              9      0      5'11"  12st 3lbs  £36M   
3      Benjamin Mendy            D/WB (L)              17/07/1994 (23)  Monaco               4      0      6'1"   11st 11lbs £21.5M 
4      Aymeric Laporte           D (C)                 27/05/1994 (24)  Athletic             7      0      6'2"   13st 7lbs  £25M   
5      Laurent Koscielny         D (C)                 10/09/1985 (32)  Arsenal              42     1      6'1"   11st 11lbs £3.2M  
6      Ousmane Dembélé           M (RL), AM (RLC)      15/05/1997 (21)  Dortmund             12     1      5'10"  10st 7lbs  £39.5M 
7      Antoine Griezmann         AM (RLC), ST (C)      21/03/1991 (27)  Man City             51     24     5'9"   11st 4lbs  £56M   
8      Anthony Martial           AM (RL), ST (C)       05/12/1995 (22)  Man Utd              23     1      5'11"  11st 13lbs £38.5M 
9      Karim Benzema             AM (C), ST (C)        19/12/1987 (30)  Real Madrid          83     29     6'0"   13st 3lbs  £26M   
10     Nabil Fekir               AM (RLC), ST (C)      18/07/1993 (24)  Lyon                 9      2      5'8"   11st 4lbs  £23.5M 
11     Kevin Gameiro             AM (C), ST (C)        09/05/1987 (31)  Atlético             23     15     5'8"   11st 0lbs  £11.25M
12     Djibril Sidibé            D (RL)                29/07/1992 (25)  Monaco               15     0      6'0"   11st 2lbs  £20.5M 
13     Stéphane Ruffier          GK                    27/09/1986 (31)  Saint-Étienne        3      0      6'2"   14st 0lbs  £6.25M 
14     Steve Mandanda            GK                    28/03/1985 (33)  Crystal Palace       22     0      6'1"   12st 12lbs £2.4M  
15     Raphaël Varane            D (C)                 25/04/1993 (25)  Real Madrid          45     2      6'3"   13st 3lbs  £41.5M 
16     Paul Pogba                M/AM (C)              15/03/1993 (25)  Man Utd              56     8      6'3"   13st 3lbs  £56M   
17     Lucas Digne               D/WB (L)              20/07/1993 (24)  Barcelona            30     2      5'10"  11st 9lbs  £24M   
18     Samuel Umtiti             D (LC)                14/11/1993 (24)  Barcelona            14     0      6'0"   11st 11lbs £27M   
19     N'Golo Kanté              DM, M (C)             29/03/1991 (27)  Chelsea              26     1      5'7"   10st 9lbs  £35.5M 
20     Alexandre Lacazette       AM (RL), ST (C)       28/05/1991 (27)  Lyon                 12     1      5'9"   11st 6lbs  £24.5M 
21     Kingsley Coman            M (RL), AM (RLC)      13/06/1996 (22)  Juventus             24     6      5'10"  11st 2lbs  £27.5M 
22     Steven N'Zonzi            DM, M (C)             15/12/1988 (29)  Sevilla              10     1      6'3"   11st 11lbs £15.5M 
23     Dennis Appiah             D (RLC), WB (RL)      09/06/1992 (26)  Anderlecht           2      0      5'10"  10st 9lbs  £10.75M

MEXICO


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Hugo González             GK                    01/08/1990 (27)  Monterrey            2      0      6'0"   13st 3lbs  £3.1M  
2      Alan Pulido               ST (C)                08/03/1991 (27)  Chivas               11     6      5'9"   10st 9lbs  £3.5M  
3      Miguel Layún              D/WB (RL)             25/06/1988 (29)  Porto                60     4      5'10"  11st 6lbs  £10M   
4      Diego Reyes               D (C)                 19/09/1992 (25)  Hoffenheim           39     1      6'2"   10st 9lbs  £4.5M  
5      Héctor Moreno             D (LC), DM            17/01/1988 (30)  PSV                  90     2      6'0"   12st 8lbs  £4.4M  
6      Héctor Herrera            M (C)                 19/04/1990 (28)  Porto                62     5      5'10"  11st 4lbs  £15.75M
7      Hirving Lozano            M (L), AM (RL)        30/07/1995 (22)  Pachuca              22     3      5'10"  11st 0lbs  £7.25M 
8      Orbelín Pineda            M (C)                 24/03/1996 (22)  Chivas               14     1      5'6"   9st 6lbs   £4.2M  
9      Raúl Jiménez              ST (C)                05/05/1991 (27)  Shakhtar             64     16     6'3"   13st 5lbs  £16.5M 
10     Carlos Fierro             AM (R), ST (C)        24/07/1994 (23)  Cruz Azul            2      0      5'9"   10st 3lbs  £3.8M  
11     Carlos Vela               AM (RLC), ST (C)      01/03/1989 (29)  Real Sociedad        57     19     5'10"  11st 6lbs  £8.5M  
12     Jesús Corona              M (RL), AM (RLC)      06/01/1993 (25)  Porto                34     7      5'8"   10st 5lbs  £16.5M 
13     Guillermo Ochoa           GK                    13/07/1985 (32)  Málaga               98     0      6'1"   12st 3lbs  £2.2M  
14     Javier Hernández          ST (C)                01/06/1988 (30)  Leverkusen           103    57     5'9"   11st 6lbs  £19.5M 
15     Jonathan Orozco           GK                    12/05/1986 (32)  Santos Laguna        7      0      6'0"   11st 13lbs £1.9M  
16     Giovani dos Santos        AM (RLC), ST (C)      11/05/1989 (29)  LA Galaxy            107    19     5'9"   12st 3lbs  £3.8M  
17     Jonathan dos Santos       DM, M (RC)            26/04/1990 (28)  Villarreal           31     0      5'8"   11st 9lbs  £6.5M  
18     Javier Aquino             M/AM (RL)             11/02/1990 (28)  Tigres               45     0      5'6"   9st 10lbs  £6M    
19     Hugo Ayala                D (C)                 31/03/1987 (31)  Tigres               34     0      6'1"   11st 13lbs £1.8M  
20     Néstor Araujo             D (C)                 29/08/1991 (26)  Santos Laguna        22     1      6'2"   13st 5lbs  £3.2M  
21     Miguel Ángel Ponce        D/WB (L)              12/04/1989 (29)  Santos Laguna        16     2      5'9"   11st 11lbs £2.4M  
22     Carlos Salcedo            D (C)                 29/09/1993 (24)  Chivas               10     0      6'1"   13st 12lbs £2.7M  
23     Gallito Vázquez           DM, M (C)             14/03/1988 (30)  Ajax                 28     0      5'5"   10st 7lbs  £5M    

TUNISIA


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Aymen Mathlouthi          GK                    14/09/1984 (33)  ES Sahel             61     0      6'0"   12st 10lbs £49.5K 
2      Iheb M'barki              D/WB (R)              14/02/1992 (26)  ES Tunis             9      0      6'1"   11st 0lbs  £205K  
3      Ali Maâloul               D/M (L)               01/01/1990 (28)  Al-Ahly              47     1      5'9"   10st 12lbs £275K  
4      Aymen Abdennour           D (C)                 06/08/1989 (28)  Valencia             69     2      6'2"   13st 12lbs £6.25M 
5      Bilel Ifa                 D (RC), WB (R)        09/03/1990 (28)  Club Africain        51     3      6'1"   12st 6lbs  £300K  
6      Änis Ben-Hatira           M (RL), AM (RLC)      18/07/1988 (29)  Gaziantepspor        31     3      6'0"   12st 12lbs £1.1M  
7      Iheb Msakni               M (C), AM (LC)        18/07/1987 (30)  ES Sahel             15     1      6'1"   11st 11lbs £135K  
8      Mohamed Ali Moncer        M (C)                 28/04/1991 (27)  ES Tunis             26     5      5'11"  11st 0lbs  £175K  
9      Amine Chermiti            AM (R), ST (C)        26/12/1987 (30)  CA Bizerte           49     9      5'9"   10st 12lbs £105K  
10     Wahbi Khazri              M (LC), AM (RLC)      08/02/1991 (27)  Sunderland           37     7      6'0"   12st 3lbs  £11.5M 
11     Saber Khalifa             AM (LC), ST (C)       14/10/1986 (31)  Lekhwiya             51     15     6'0"   11st 6lbs  £700K  
12     Youssef Msakni            M (R), AM (RC)        28/10/1990 (27)  Lekhwiya             32     7      5'10"  11st 6lbs  £5.5M  
13     Moez Ben Chrifia          GK                    24/06/1991 (26)  ES Tunis             27     0      5'11"  12st 12lbs £205K  
14     Rami Jridi                GK                    25/04/1985 (33)  CS Sfax              13     0      6'0"   12st 10lbs £53K   
15     Walid Hichri              D (C)                 05/03/1986 (32)  AS Marsa             20     3      6'6"   14st 9lbs  £22.5K 
16     Syam Ben Youssef          D (C)                 31/03/1989 (29)  Nantes               34     2      6'2"   12st 12lbs £2.7M  
17     Larry Azouni              DM, M (C)             23/03/1994 (24)  Nîmes                15     1      5'10"  11st 0lbs  £2.5M  
18     Khaled Korbi              D (C), DM, M (C)      16/12/1985 (32)  Lens                 34     2      6'1"   11st 11lbs £275K  
19     Ferjani Sassi             DM, M (C)             18/03/1992 (26)  ES Tunis             35     2      6'1"   12st 3lbs  £210K  
20     Mohamed Ben Mansour       D (LC)                19/07/1988 (29)  Club Africain        0      0      6'2"   12st 12lbs £140K  
21     Haythem Jouini            ST (C)                07/05/1993 (25)  ES Tunis             11     4      6'4"   12st 12lbs £170K  
22     Khalil Chemmam            D/WB/M (L)            24/07/1987 (30)  ES Tunis             42     0      5'11"  12st 3lbs  £51K   
23     Khaled Ayari              ST (C)                17/01/1990 (28)  Orléans              3      0      5'10"  11st 13lbs £225K  

SWITZERLAND


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Yann Sommer               GK                    17/12/1988 (29)  Gladbach             41     0      6'0"   12st 6lbs  £7.5M  
2      Fabian Schär              D (C)                 20/12/1991 (26)  Hoffenheim           25     6      6'1"   13st 5lbs  £4.6M  
3      Léo Lacroix               D (RC)                27/02/1992 (26)  Saint-Étienne        11     0      6'6"   14st 13lbs £6.25M 
4      Ricardo Rodríguez         D (LC), WB (L)        25/08/1992 (25)  Wolfsburg            61     0      5'11"  12st 3lbs  £18M   
5      Stephan Lichtsteiner      D (RC), WB/M (R)      16/01/1984 (34)  Juventus             98     5      6'0"   11st 11lbs £1.8M  
6      Granit Xhaka              DM, M (C)             27/09/1992 (25)  Arsenal              67     7      6'1"   12st 12lbs £19.75M
7      Francisco Rodríguez       M (RL), AM (RLC)      14/09/1995 (22)  Wolfsburg            10     0      5'10"  11st 13lbs £100K  
8      Tranquillo Barnetta       M/AM (C)              22/05/1985 (33)  St. Gallen           89     14     5'10"  10st 7lbs  £475K  
9      Dimitri Oberlin           AM (C), ST (C)        27/09/1997 (20)  Red Bull Salzburg    1      0      6'0"   11st 13lbs £2.9M  
10     Johan Djourou             D (C)                 18/01/1987 (31)  HSV                  72     3      6'4"   14st 2lbs  £600K  
11     Pajtim Kasami             DM, M/AM (C)          02/06/1992 (26)  Olympiacos           8      1      6'2"   12st 12lbs £1.6M  
12     Nico Elvedi               D (RC)                30/09/1996 (21)  Leicester            15     0      6'2"   13st 0lbs  £11.5M 
13     Roman Bürki               GK                    14/11/1990 (27)  Dortmund             6      0      6'2"   13st 5lbs  £6.5M  
14     Valentin Stocker          M (L), AM (LC)        12/04/1989 (29)  Hertha BSC           52     8      5'10"  11st 4lbs  £2.8M  
15     Marwin Hitz               GK                    18/09/1987 (30)  Augsburg             2      0      6'4"   13st 3lbs  £8.75M 
16     Xherdan Shaqiri           M (RL), AM (RLC)      10/10/1991 (26)  Stoke                76     20     5'7"   11st 4lbs  £32M   
17     Michael Lang              D (RC)                08/02/1991 (27)  Basel                29     3      6'1"   12st 6lbs  £7.25M 
18     Fabian Frei               DM, M (C)             08/01/1989 (29)  Mainz                25     1      6'0"   12st 3lbs  £4.2M  
19     Luca Zuffi                M/AM (C)              27/03/1990 (28)  Basel                22     3      5'11"  11st 0lbs  £8M    
20     Breel Embolo              M/AM (R), ST (C)      14/02/1997 (21)  Schalke              31     14     6'0"   12st 12lbs £30M   
21     Admir Mehmedi             M/AM (L), ST (C)      16/03/1991 (27)  Leverkusen           57     13     6'0"   11st 13lbs £6.5M  
22     Denis Zakaria             D (C), DM, M (C)      20/11/1996 (21)  Young Boys           11     1      6'4"   11st 13lbs £8M    
23     Timm Klose                D (C)                 09/05/1988 (30)  Norwich              24     0      6'4"   13st 9lbs  £2.9M  

 


GROUP C: Brazil, Costa Rica, Georgia, England

Spoiler

BRAZIL


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Alex Muralha              GK                    10/11/1989 (28)  Flamengo             6      0      6'2"   13st 9lbs  £7M    
2      Fabinho                   D (R), DM, M (C)      23/10/1993 (24)  Monaco               9      0      6'2"   12st 3lbs  £37.5M 
3      Thiago Silva              D (C)                 22/09/1984 (33)  PSG                  74     5      6'0"   12st 6lbs  £3.5M  
4      Marquinhos                D (RC)                14/05/1994 (24)  PSG                  25     1      6'0"   11st 4lbs  £38.5M 
5      David Luiz                D (C), DM             22/04/1987 (31)  Chelsea              62     3      6'2"   13st 3lbs  £12M   
6      Rafinha                   M (C), AM (RLC)       12/02/1993 (25)  Barcelona            14     6      5'9"   11st 0lbs  £36.5M 
7      Lucas Silva               DM, M (C)             16/02/1993 (25)  Cruzeiro             2      0      6'0"   12st 8lbs  £15M   
8      Casemiro                  DM, M (C)             23/02/1992 (26)  Real Madrid          28     5      6'0"   13st 0lbs  £35M   
9      Gabriel Jesus             AM (RL), ST (C)       03/04/1997 (21)  Man City             23     11     5'10"  11st 6lbs  £36.5M 
10     Roberto Firmino           AM (RLC), ST (C)      02/10/1991 (26)  Liverpool            28     7      5'11"  11st 13lbs £40.5M 
11     Neymar                    AM (RLC), ST (C)      05/02/1992 (26)  Barcelona            86     54     5'9"   10st 9lbs  £70M   
12     Alisson                   GK                    02/10/1992 (25)  Roma                 12     0      6'3"   14st 4lbs  £6.25M 
13     Marcelo Grohe             GK                    13/01/1987 (31)  Grêmio               3      0      6'2"   12st 8lbs  £5.75M 
14     Marcelo                   D/WB/M (L)            12/05/1988 (30)  Real Madrid          56     5      5'9"   11st 11lbs £18.25M
15     Jemerson                  D (C)                 24/08/1992 (25)  Monaco               3      0      6'0"   12st 1lb   £24.5M 
16     Alex Sandro               D/WB/M (L)            26/01/1991 (27)  Juventus             14     0      5'11"  12st 3lbs  £41M   
17     Willian                   M/AM (RLC)            09/08/1988 (29)  Chelsea              45     8      5'9"   12st 1lb   £22.5M 
18     Fred                      DM, M (C)             05/03/1993 (25)  Man Utd              13     0      5'7"   10st 1lb   £32M   
19     Luan                      AM (RLC), ST (C)      27/03/1993 (25)  Grêmio               8      2      5'11"  11st 2lbs  £12M   
20     Rodrigo Caio              SW, D (C)             17/08/1993 (24)  Marseille            1      0      6'0"   11st 13lbs £13.5M 
21     Willian José              AM (C), ST (C)        23/11/1991 (26)  Gladbach             3      0      6'1"   13st 9lbs  £18M   
22     Daniel Guedes             D (R)                 02/04/1994 (24)  Benfica              1      0      5'11"  11st 2lbs  £8.25M 
23     Clayton                   AM (C), ST (C)        23/10/1995 (22)  Atlético Mineiro     1      0      5'8"   10st 12lbs £6.25M 

COSTA RICA


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Keylor Navas              GK                    15/12/1986 (31)  Real Madrid          90     0      6'0"   12st 3lbs  £18M   
2      Jose Salvatierra          D/WB (R)              10/10/1989 (28)  Alajuelense          34     0      5'10"  11st 0lbs  £625K  
3      Bryan Oviedo              D/WB/M (L)            18/02/1990 (28)  Sunderland           47     2      5'8"   11st 0lbs  £1.8M  
4      Kendall Waston            D (C)                 01/01/1988 (30)  Vancouver            22     0      6'5"   15st 6lbs  £1.8M  
5      Oscar Duarte              D (C)                 03/06/1989 (29)  Espanyol             47     2      6'0"   13st 5lbs  £3.9M  
6      Joel Campbell             M/AM (RL), ST (C)     26/06/1992 (25)  Southampton          65     15     5'10"  11st 0lbs  £11.5M 
7      Celso Borges              M/AM (C)              27/05/1988 (30)  Saint-Étienne        100    23     6'0"   11st 13lbs £5.75M 
8      Bryan Ruíz                M/AM (LC)             18/08/1985 (32)  Sporting             115    24     6'2"   12st 3lbs  £27K   
9      John Ruiz                 AM (RL)               10/01/1994 (24)  Montpellier          18     2      5'9"   10st 9lbs  £2.7M  
10     David Ramírez             AM (RL), ST (C)       28/05/1993 (25)  Saprissa             23     9      5'9"   10st 12lbs £550K  
11     Ariel Rodriguez           ST (C)                27/09/1989 (28)  Cartaginés           11     0      5'9"   12st 1lb   £300K  
12     Giancarlo González        D (C)                 08/02/1988 (30)  Palermo              64     2      6'1"   12st 3lbs  £1.8M  
13     Esteban                   GK                    28/04/1989 (29)  KRC Genk             12     0      6'4"   13st 0lbs  £4.5M  
14     Leonel Moreira            GK                    02/04/1990 (28)  Herediano            9      0      5'11"  11st 0lbs  £525K  
15     Ronald Matarrita          D/WB/M/AM (L)         09/07/1994 (23)  New York City        28     1      5'9"   11st 0lbs  £4M    
16     Bismar Acosta             D (C)                 19/12/1986 (31)  Brann                14     0      6'0"   14st 2lbs  £41K   
17     Yeltsin Tejeda            DM, M (C)             17/03/1992 (26)  Sparta Praha         55     2      5'10"  11st 0lbs  £250K  
18     David Guzmán              DM, M (C)             18/02/1990 (28)  Portland             36     0      5'7"   10st 3lbs  £1.4M  
19     Marcos Ureña              AM (C), ST (C)        05/03/1990 (28)  New York City        57     12     5'10"  11st 0lbs  £3M    
20     Elias Aguilar             M/AM (LC)             11/07/1991 (26)  Herediano            12     1      5'9"   11st 6lbs  £200K  
21     Keyner Brown              SW, D (C)             30/12/1992 (25)  Herediano            4      0      6'1"   12st 10lbs £96K   
22     Rodney Wallace            D/M/AM (L)            17/06/1988 (29)  Colorado             28     6      5'11"  10st 12lbs £1.1M  
23     Julio Cascante            D (LC), WB (L)        03/10/1993 (24)  Saprissa             1      0      6'1"   11st 9lbs  £180K  

GEORGIA


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Giorgi Loria              GK                    27/01/1986 (32)  Krylja Sovetov       52     0      6'6"   13st 5lbs  £1.2M  
2      Nika Ninua                D (C)                 22/06/1999 (18)  Dinamo Tb.           0      0      6'4"   13st 7lbs  £36K   
3      Lasha Chikvaidze          D/WB (L)              04/10/1989 (28)  Chikhura             2      0      5'9"   11st 11lbs £81K   
4      Solomon Kverkvelia        D (C)                 06/02/1992 (26)  Rubin                19     3      6'5"   13st 9lbs  £3.2M  
5      Nika Kvekveskiri          D (RL)                29/05/1992 (26)  Qäbälä               13     0      6'1"   12st 8lbs  £225K  
6      Akaki Gogia               M/AM (RLC)            18/01/1992 (26)  West Brom            17     4      5'10"  11st 4lbs  £6.25M 
7      Jano                      M/AM (LC)             10/10/1992 (25)  Spartak Moscow       46     3      5'8"   10st 1lb   £3.6M  
8      Jaba Kankava              DM, M (C)             18/03/1986 (32)  Stade Reims          72     8      5'9"   11st 11lbs £325K  
9      Davit Targamadze          M/AM (RL)             22/08/1989 (28)  Al-Khaleej (KSA)     27     3      5'8"   10st 7lbs  £1.3M  
10     Valeri Qazaishvili        AM (RLC), ST (C)      29/01/1993 (25)  Vitesse              34     11     6'0"   11st 9lbs  £155K  
11     Mate Vatsadze             AM (L), ST (C)        17/12/1988 (29)  Randers FC           20     4      5'11"  12st 1lb   £235K  
12     Giorgi Kvilitaia          ST (C)                01/10/1993 (24)  SK Rapid Wien        19     3      6'3"   13st 9lbs  £2.1M  
13     Giorgi Makaridze          GK                    31/03/1990 (28)  Moreirense           5      0      6'4"   13st 12lbs £89K   
14     Omar Migineishvili        GK                    02/06/1984 (34)  Samtredia            0      0      6'2"   13st 7lbs  £17.25K
15     Guram Kashia              D (RC)                04/07/1987 (30)  Vitesse              60     1      6'0"   11st 9lbs  £1.3M  
16     Giorgi Arabidze           AM (RL), ST (C)       04/03/1998 (20)  Illichivets          4      0      5'9"   11st 2lbs  £3.3M  
17     Levan Mchedlidze          ST (C)                24/03/1990 (28)  Empoli               43     9      6'3"   13st 9lbs  £1.1M  
18     Tornike Okriashvili       M (R), AM (RL)        12/02/1992 (26)  Krasnodar            24     4      5'11"  11st 2lbs  £1.4M  
19     Murtaz Daushvili          DM                    01/05/1989 (29)  Diósgyőr             38     0      5'10"  12st 3lbs  £550K  
20     Davit Khocholava          D (C), ST (C)         08/02/1993 (25)  Chornomorets         4      0      6'3"   13st 5lbs  £1.7M  
21     Levan Kenia               M/AM (LC)             18/10/1990 (27)  Slavia Praha         33     4      5'9"   10st 12lbs £1.4M  
22     Giorgi Aburjania          M (C)                 02/01/1995 (23)  Dinamo Bucureşti     11     2      5'10"  11st 0lbs  £600K  
23     Lasha Dvali               D (C)                 14/05/1995 (23)  Śląsk                18     0      6'3"   12st 8lbs  £375K  

ENGLAND


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Joe Hart                  GK                    19/04/1987 (31)  Man City             78     0      6'5"   12st 10lbs £12.75M
2      Nathaniel Clyne           D/WB (R)              05/04/1991 (27)  Liverpool            27     0      5'9"   10st 7lbs  £13M   
3      Danny Rose                D/WB/M (L)            02/07/1990 (27)  Tottenham            19     2      5'8"   11st 6lbs  £24M   
4      Danny Drinkwater          M (C)                 05/03/1990 (28)  Leicester            13     0      5'10"  11st 0lbs  £14.25M
5      Gary Cahill               D (C)                 19/12/1985 (32)  Chelsea              58     3      6'4"   13st 7lbs  £1.2M  
6      John Stones               D (RC)                28/05/1994 (24)  Man City             23     1      6'2"   12st 1lb   £37.5M 
7      Nathan Redmond            M/AM (RL), ST (C)     06/03/1994 (24)  Southampton          4      1      5'8"   11st 6lbs  £19.5M 
8      Dele Alli                 M/AM (C)              11/04/1996 (22)  Tottenham            30     5      6'1"   12st 1lb   £35.5M 
9      Harry Kane                ST (C)                28/07/1993 (24)  Tottenham            32     12     6'3"   13st 0lbs  £35.5M 
10     Callum Wilson             ST (C)                27/02/1992 (26)  Chelsea              15     3      5'11"  10st 7lbs  £40.5M 
11     Rolando Aarons            M/AM (RL)             16/11/1995 (22)  Newcastle            4      0      5'9"   10st 5lbs  £11.5M 
12     Michael Keane             D (RC)                11/01/1993 (25)  Man City             12     0      6'1"   13st 0lbs  £30M   
13     Jack Butland              GK                    10/03/1993 (25)  Stoke                7      0      6'5"   14st 13lbs £20M   
14     Jordan Henderson          DM, M (C)             17/06/1990 (27)  Liverpool            45     0      6'0"   10st 7lbs  £22.5M 
15     Eric Dier                 D (RC), DM, M (C)     15/01/1994 (24)  Tottenham            27     3      6'2"   13st 7lbs  £32.5M 
16     Phil Jones                D (RC)                21/02/1992 (26)  Man Utd              23     0      6'1"   11st 4lbs  £21M   
17     Demarai Gray              M/AM (RL)             28/06/1996 (21)  Leicester            9      2      5'10"  11st 13lbs £11.75M
18     Jack Wilshere             M/AM (C)              01/01/1992 (26)  Arsenal              47     5      5'9"   10st 3lbs  £21M   
19     Daniel Sturridge          ST (C)                01/09/1989 (28)  Liverpool            32     19     6'0"   12st 6lbs  £22M   
20     Adam Lallana              M/AM (RLC)            10/05/1988 (30)  Liverpool            44     2      5'8"   11st 6lbs  £15.25M
21     Kyle Walker               D/WB (R)              28/05/1990 (28)  Tottenham            30     0      6'0"   11st 6lbs  £21.5M 
22     Fraser Forster            GK                    17/03/1988 (30)  Southampton          9      0      6'7"   15st 8lbs  £10.5M 
23     Luke Shaw                 D/WB (L)              12/07/1995 (22)  Man Utd              18     1      6'1"   11st 11lbs £22.5M 

 


GROUP D: Uruguay, Iran, Ivory Coast, Italy

Spoiler

URUGUAY


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Fernando Muslera          GK                    16/06/1986 (31)  West Ham             100    0      6'3"   13st 3lbs  £8.5M  
2      Maxi Pereira              D/WB (R)              08/06/1984 (34)  Ajax                 125    3      5'8"   11st 0lbs  £775K  
3      Álvaro Pereira            D/WB/M (L)            28/11/1985 (32)  Atlético Paranaense  70     6      6'0"   11st 11lbs £675K  
4      Diego Godín               D (C)                 16/02/1986 (32)  Atlético             106    4      6'1"   11st 6lbs  £3.6M  
5      José Giménez              D (RC)                20/01/1995 (23)  Atlético             46     4      6'1"   12st 8lbs  £19M   
6      Felipe Carballo           DM, M (C)             04/10/1996 (21)  Nacional             1      0      5'10"  11st 4lbs  £1.2M  
7      Edinson Cavani            AM (L), ST (C)        14/02/1987 (31)  PSG                  93     43     6'2"   11st 4lbs  £14M   
8      Rodrigo Bentancur         DM, M (RC)            25/06/1997 (20)  Sporting             12     1      6'0"   11st 9lbs  £12.75M
9      Luis Suárez               AM (RLC), ST (C)      24/01/1987 (31)  Barcelona            102    59     6'0"   13st 5lbs  £22M   
10     Giorgian De Arrascaeta    AM (LC), ST (C)       01/06/1994 (24)  Cruzeiro             22     3      5'8"   10st 7lbs  £9M    
11     Nicolás López             AM (L), ST (C)        01/10/1993 (24)  Internacional        3      0      5'9"   10st 7lbs  £5.75M 
12     Sebastián Coates          D (C)                 07/10/1990 (27)  Sporting             27     1      6'5"   14st 6lbs  £6.75M 
13     Sebastián Sosa            GK                    19/08/1986 (31)  Pachuca              0      0      5'10"  11st 13lbs £59K   
14     Nicolás Lodeiro           M (LC), AM (C)        18/12/1989 (28)  Seattle              55     4      5'7"   10st 12lbs £4M    
15     Gastón Guruceaga          GK                    15/03/1995 (23)  Las Palmas           0      0      6'2"   14st 0lbs  £1.2M  
16     Matías Vecino             DM, M (C)             24/08/1991 (26)  Fiorentina           27     3      6'2"   12st 10lbs £9M    
17     Abel Hernández            ST (C)                08/08/1990 (27)  Hull                 28     11     6'1"   11st 6lbs  £8M    
18     Diego Laxalt              M (LC), AM (L)        07/02/1993 (25)  Genoa                4      0      5'10"  10st 5lbs  £7M    
19     Lucas Torreira            DM, M (C)             11/02/1996 (22)  Sampdoria            14     0      5'6"   10st 1lb   £7.75M 
20     Fabricio Formiliano       D (C), DM             14/01/1993 (25)  Danubio              2      0      6'1"   12st 6lbs  £525K  
21     Emiliano Velázquez        D (C)                 30/04/1994 (24)  Frankfurt            2      0      6'1"   12st 6lbs  £2.4M  
22     Maximiliano Olivera       D (LC)                05/03/1992 (26)  Cruz Azul            3      0      5'11"  11st 4lbs  £2.7M  
23     Erick Cabaco              D (C)                 19/04/1995 (23)  Libertad             0      0      6'1"   11st 11lbs £1M    

IRAN


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Mohammad Reza Akhbari     GK                    15/02/1993 (25)  Teraktor-Sazi        9      0      6'3"   13st 5lbs  £88K   
2      Mehdi Torabi              D/M (R), AM (RL)      10/09/1994 (23)  Saipa                8      3      6'1"   11st 11lbs £66K   
3      Ehsan Hajsafi             D/WB/M/AM (L)         25/02/1990 (28)  Sepahan              97     6      5'9"   11st 9lbs  £110K  
4      Morteza Pouraliganji      D (C), DM, M (C)      19/04/1992 (26)  Al-Sadd              22     2      6'0"   11st 11lbs £1.6M  
5      Shojae Khalilzadeh        D (C)                 14/05/1989 (29)  Teraktor-Sazi        10     0      6'0"   11st 13lbs £77K   
6      Bakhtiar Rahmani          M/AM (C)              23/09/1991 (26)  Teraktor-Sazi        23     4      5'10"  11st 0lbs  £140K  
7      Andranik Teymourian       DM, M (C)             06/03/1983 (35)  Jeonnam              101    9      5'11"  11st 6lbs  £32.5K 
8      Mohsen Mosalman           M/AM (C)              27/01/1991 (27)  Persepolis           14     1      5'9"   10st 12lbs £140K  
9      Arash Rezavand            AM (C)                05/10/1993 (24)  Naft Tehran          7      0      5'10"  11st 13lbs £130K  
10     Alireza Jahanbakhsh       AM (RLC)              11/08/1993 (24)  Ingolstadt           34     6      5'11"  12st 3lbs  £3.6M  
11     Sardar Azmoun             ST (C)                01/01/1995 (23)  Bournemouth          48     36     6'1"   12st 8lbs  £5.75M 
12     Vouria Ghafouri           D/M (R)               20/09/1987 (30)  Sepahan              26     0      5'10"  11st 4lbs  £57K   
13     Sosha Makani              GK                    18/11/1986 (31)  Kalmar FF            7      0      6'3"   13st 7lbs  £325K  
14     Alireza Haghighi          GK                    02/05/1988 (30)  AIK                  24     0      6'4"   13st 0lbs  £200K  
15     Karim Ansarifard          ST (C)                03/04/1990 (28)  Olympiacos           55     12     6'1"   12st 3lbs  £1.4M  
16     Mehdi Taremi              ST (C)                18/07/1992 (25)  Persepolis           14     6      6'2"   12st 6lbs  £88K   
17     Milad Mohammadi           D (RL)                29/09/1993 (24)  Terek                18     0      5'10"  12st 6lbs  £1.4M  
18     Omid Ebrahimi             DM, M (C)             16/09/1987 (30)  Esteghlal            33     0      5'9"   11st 4lbs  £59K   
19     Saeid Ezzatollahi         DM, M (C)             01/10/1996 (21)  Rostov               25     3      6'3"   12st 3lbs  £2M    
20     Omid Alishah              M/AM (L)              01/10/1992 (25)  Al-Taawoun           2      0      5'7"   10st 1lb   £1M    
21     Hasan Beitsaeid           D (RC)                01/04/1990 (28)  Esteghlal Khuzestan  2      0      5'11"  11st 11lbs £43.5K 
22     Mohammad Nejadmehdi       D (C)                 20/10/1992 (25)  Zob-Ahan             3      0      6'4"   13st 12lbs £82K   
23     Hossain Moradmand         D (C)                 22/06/1993 (24)  Padideh              2      0      6'0"   11st 13lbs £34.5K 

IVORY COAST


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Mandé Sayouba             GK                    15/06/1993 (25)  Celtic               27     0      6'4"   13st 7lbs  £475K  
2      Yohan Boli                M/AM (R), ST (C)      17/11/1993 (24)  Sint-Truiden         2      0      5'11"  11st 9lbs  £1.7M  
3      Serge Aurier              D (RL), WB (R)        24/12/1992 (25)  PSG                  45     3      5'9"   11st 9lbs  £15.75M
4      Jean-Philippe Gbamin      D (RC), DM, M (C)     25/09/1995 (22)  Mainz                5      0      6'1"   13st 0lbs  £3.7M  
5      Lamine Koné               D (RC)                01/02/1989 (29)  Sunderland           13     0      6'1"   13st 0lbs  £5M    
6      Max Gradel                M (RL), AM (RLC)      30/11/1987 (30)  Bournemouth          65     11     5'11"  11st 0lbs  £6.5M  
7      Seydou Doumbia            ST (C)                31/12/1987 (30)  Al-Ahli (UAE)        50     9      5'10"  11st 4lbs  £2M    
8      Jean Michaël Séri         DM, M (C)             19/07/1991 (26)  Jiangsu              26     6      5'6"   10st 3lbs  £23.5M 
9      Gervinho                  AM (RL), ST (C)       27/05/1987 (31)  Hebei CFFC           94     21     5'10"  11st 13lbs £14M   
10     Jonathan Kodjia           ST (C)                22/10/1989 (28)  Aston Villa          11     4      6'2"   12st 1lb   £5.25M 
11     Sehrou Guirassy           ST (C)                12/03/1996 (22)  Saint-Étienne        2      0      6'2"   12st 12lbs £325K  
12     Eric Bailly               D (C)                 12/04/1994 (24)  Man Utd              37     0      6'2"   12st 1lb   £26.5M 
13     Jean Vincent Ahouchi      GK                    09/01/1994 (24)  Séwé                 0      0      6'1"   12st 6lbs  £99K   
14     Christian Okoua           GK                    08/11/1991 (26)  Al-Ahli Shendi       1      0      6'4"   11st 11lbs £10.5K 
15     Franck Kessié             D (C), DM, M (C)      19/12/1996 (21)  Atalanta             27     6      5'11"  12st 1lb   £17.5M 
16     Pierre Zebli              DM, M (C)             06/12/1997 (20)  KRC Genk             20     4      6'1"   12st 8lbs  £14M   
17     Ghislain Konan            D (L)                 27/12/1995 (22)  Olympiacos           0      0      5'9"   11st 2lbs  £2.9M  
18     Simon Deli                D (C), DM             27/10/1991 (26)  Slavia Praha         11     0      6'4"   13st 9lbs  £2M    
19     Kouassi Eboue             DM, M (C)             13/12/1997 (20)  Celtic               3      1      6'1"   11st 2lbs  £750K  
20     Vakoun Issouf Bayo        M (C)                 10/01/1997 (21)  ES Sahel             2      0      5'8"   10st 12lbs £300K  
21     Eloge Yao                 D (RC)                20/01/1996 (22)  Caen                 0      0      6'0"   11st 13lbs £1.8M  
22     Thomas Touré              AM (L), ST (C)        27/12/1993 (24)  PAOK                 5      0      5'10"  11st 6lbs  £1.1M  
23     Kouassi N'Goran           D (C)                 08/02/1988 (30)  CSM Poli Iaşi        0      0      6'1"   12st 8lbs  £240K  

ITALY


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Salvatore Sirigu          GK                    12/01/1987 (31)  PSG                  21     0      6'4"   12st 8lbs  £7.75M 
2      Alessandro Florenzi       D/WB (R), M (RC)      11/03/1991 (27)  Roma                 39     7      5'8"   10st 7lbs  £30.5M 
3      Giorgio Chiellini         D (LC)                14/08/1984 (33)  Juventus             97     7      6'2"   13st 7lbs  £2.3M  
4      Edoardo Goldaniga         D (RC)                02/11/1993 (24)  Milan                2      0      6'2"   12st 8lbs  £8.5M  
5      Matteo Darmian            D/WB (RL)             02/12/1989 (28)  Man Utd              43     1      6'0"   11st 0lbs  £18M   
6      Daniele Rugani            D (C)                 29/07/1994 (23)  Juventus             12     0      6'3"   12st 12lbs £28.5M 
7      Jorginho                  DM, M (C)             20/12/1991 (26)  Napoli               18     0      5'11"  10st 3lbs  £29.5M 
8      Claudio Marchisio         DM, M (C)             19/01/1986 (32)  Juventus             66     5      5'11"  11st 2lbs  £4.3M  
9      Ciro Immobile             ST (C)                20/02/1990 (28)  Lazio                26     5      6'1"   12st 8lbs  £25M   
10     Lorenzo Insigne           AM (LC), ST (C)       04/06/1991 (27)  Napoli               20     4      5'4"   9st 1lb    £29M   
11     Stephan El Shaarawy       AM (RLC), ST (C)      27/10/1992 (25)  Roma                 20     3      5'10"  11st 4lbs  £16.5M 
12     Franco Vázquez            AM (C), ST (C)        22/02/1989 (29)  Sevilla              9      0      6'2"   12st 10lbs £21M   
13     Alessio Romagnoli         D (C)                 12/01/1995 (23)  Milan                15     0      6'2"   12st 6lbs  £27M   
14     Gianluigi Donnarumma      GK                    25/02/1999 (19)  Milan                16     0      6'6"   14st 13lbs £21.5M 
15     Alex Meret                GK                    22/03/1997 (21)  Udinese              0      0      6'2"   12st 8lbs  £3M    
16     Alex Telles               D/WB/M (L)            15/12/1992 (25)  Porto                10     0      5'11"  11st 6lbs  £15.25M
17     Marco Verratti            DM, M (C)             05/11/1992 (25)  PSG                  31     2      5'5"   9st 6lbs   £37.5M 
18     Federico Bernardeschi     M (R), AM (RLC)       16/02/1994 (24)  PSG                  15     4      6'0"   11st 11lbs £42M   
19     Leonardo Bonucci          SW, D (C)             01/05/1987 (31)  Juventus             81     4      6'3"   13st 7lbs  £16.25M
20     Andrea Belotti            ST (C)                20/12/1993 (24)  FC Bayern            16     9      5'11"  11st 4lbs  £32M   
21     Roberto Gagliardini       DM, M (C)             07/04/1994 (24)  Inter                6      1      6'2"   12st 1lb   £9.5M  
22     Stefano Sturaro           DM, M (C)             09/03/1993 (25)  Juventus             10     0      5'11"  12st 6lbs  £14.75M
23     Davide Santon             D (RL), WB (R)        02/01/1991 (27)  Inter                9      0      6'1"   13st 0lbs  £13.5M 

 


GROUP E: Portugal, Japan, Senegal, Spain

Spoiler

PORTUGAL


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Rui Patrício              GK                    15/02/1988 (30)  Sporting             66     0      6'3"   13st 3lbs  £10.75M
2      Nélson Semedo             D/WB (R)              16/11/1993 (24)  Man City             19     0      5'10"  10st 12lbs £28M   
3      Fábio Coentrão            D/WB/M (L)            11/03/1988 (30)  PSG                  65     5      5'10"  11st 0lbs  £8.5M  
4      Daniel Carriço            D (C), DM             04/08/1988 (29)  Sevilla              18     0      6'0"   11st 9lbs  £9.5M  
5      Rúben Semedo              D (C), DM             04/04/1994 (24)  Sporting             7      0      6'2"   13st 3lbs  £10.75M
6      Adrien Silva              DM, M (C)             15/03/1989 (29)  Sporting             36     5      5'9"   11st 6lbs  £20.5M 
7      Cristiano Ronaldo         AM (RLC), ST (C)      05/02/1985 (33)  Real Madrid          151    85     6'1"   13st 3lbs  £6.75M 
8      João Mário                M/AM (RC)             19/01/1993 (25)  Inter                45     4      5'10"  11st 4lbs  £41M   
9      André Silva               ST (C)                06/11/1995 (22)  PSG                  13     12     6'1"   12st 6lbs  £34.5M 
10     Diogo Jota                AM (LC), ST (C)       04/12/1996 (21)  Porto                6      1      5'10"  11st 0lbs  £15.5M 
11     Rui Fonte                 AM (C), ST (C)        23/04/1990 (28)  Braga                4      2      5'11"  11st 11lbs £3.4M  
12     Bernardo Silva            M (RC), AM (RLC)      10/08/1994 (23)  Man Utd              26     2      5'8"   10st 1lb   £39.5M 
13     Anthony Lopes             GK                    01/10/1990 (27)  Lyon                 4      0      6'0"   12st 10lbs £14.75M
14     William Carvalho          DM, M (C)             07/04/1992 (26)  PSG                  36     1      6'2"   13st 0lbs  £32M   
15     André Moreira             GK                    02/12/1995 (22)  Atlético             0      0      6'5"   13st 7lbs  £950K  
16     Renato Sanches            DM, M/AM (C)          18/08/1997 (20)  FC Bayern            31     1      5'10"  12st 3lbs  £46.5M 
17     Gelson Martins            M/AM (R)              11/05/1995 (23)  Real Madrid          1      0      5'8"   10st 3lbs  £50M   
18     Gonçalo Guedes            M (R), AM (RL)        29/11/1996 (21)  PSG                  22     8      5'10"  11st 9lbs  £35M   
19     Rúben Neves               DM, M (C)             13/03/1997 (21)  Porto                9      0      5'11"  11st 11lbs £27M   
20     João Cancelo              D/WB/M/AM (R)         27/05/1994 (24)  Valencia             9      1      6'0"   11st 4lbs  £11.5M 
21     Paulo Oliveira            D (C)                 08/01/1992 (26)  Real Sociedad        5      0      6'2"   12st 12lbs £9.25M 
22     Raphaël Guerreiro         D/WB (L), M (LC)      22/12/1993 (24)  Dortmund             33     2      5'7"   11st 2lbs  £43.5M 
23     Josué                     D (C)                 17/06/1992 (25)  Shakhtar             4      1      6'1"   12st 6lbs  £13.25M

JAPAN


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Shinobu Kodama            GK                    22/05/2001 (17)  Sanfrecce            2      0      6'4"   12st 6lbs  £325K  
2      Atsuto Uchida             D/WB (R)              27/03/1988 (30)  Schalke              77     2      5'9"   9st 10lbs  £775K  
3      Yûto Nagatomo             D/WB/M (RL)           12/09/1986 (31)  Inter                117    4      5'7"   10st 9lbs  £1.8M  
4      Hiroki Sakai              D/WB (R)              12/04/1990 (28)  Marseille            48     3      6'0"   11st 0lbs  £4.5M  
5      Maya Yoshida              D (C)                 24/08/1988 (29)  Southampton          89     10     6'2"   12st 3lbs  £4.7M  
6      Takashi Usami             M (RL), AM (RLC)      06/05/1992 (26)  Augsburg             42     6      5'10"  10st 12lbs £4.2M  
7      Takuma Asano              ST (C)                10/11/1994 (23)  Stuttgart            6      1      5'8"   11st 4lbs  £5.5M  
8      Hiroki Yamada             M/AM (RLC)            27/12/1988 (29)  Karlsruhe            14     1      5'8"   10st 5lbs  £1.2M  
9      Naoaki Aoyama             D (C)                 18/07/1986 (31)  Vissel               7      0      6'0"   11st 2lbs  £145K  
10     Keisuke Honda             M (C), AM (RC)        13/06/1986 (32)  Lyon                 100    37     6'0"   11st 13lbs £3.6M  
11     Shota Suizu               GK                    13/07/1987 (30)                       0      0      6'0"   12st 6lbs  £0     
12     Yûki Kobayashi            DM, M/AM (C)          24/04/1992 (26)  Osijek               16     2      5'11"  10st 7lbs  £195K  
13     Eiji Kawashima            GK                    20/03/1983 (35)  Metz                 97     0      6'1"   12st 10lbs £1.2K  
14     Shinji Okazaki            AM (LC), ST (C)       16/04/1986 (32)  Leicester            113    50     5'9"   11st 13lbs £1.6M  
15     Shinji Kagawa             M/AM (C)              17/03/1989 (29)  CSKA Moscow          104    32     5'9"   10st 9lbs  £14M   
16     Yoshinori Mutô            M/AM (L), ST (C)      15/07/1992 (25)  Mainz                40     15     5'10"  11st 4lbs  £24.5M 
17     Takumi Minamino           M (RL), AM (RLC)      16/01/1995 (23)  HSV                  12     2      5'9"   10st 5lbs  £8M    
18     Gôtoku Sakai              D/WB (RL)             14/03/1991 (27)  HSV                  50     0      5'9"   11st 4lbs  £3.4M  
19     Takashi Inui              M (L), AM (LC)        02/06/1988 (30)  Eibar                39     3      5'7"   9st 4lbs   £3.1M  
20     Hajime Hosogai            D (R), DM, M (C)      10/06/1986 (32)  Stuttgart            56     3      5'10"  10st 9lbs  £2.7K  
21     Makoto Hasebe             D (C), DM, M (C)      18/01/1984 (34)  Frankfurt            127    3      5'10"  11st 4lbs  £575K  
22     Atom Tanaka               M/AM (RC)             04/10/1987 (30)  FC Nordsjælland      10     1      5'6"   9st 4lbs   £240K  
23     Daisuke Suzuki            D (RC)                29/01/1990 (28)  Nàstic               21     0      5'11"  10st 12lbs £800K  

SENEGAL


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Alfred Gomis              GK                    05/09/1993 (24)  Torino               13     0      6'5"   12st 8lbs  £22.5K 
2      Diawandou Diagné          D (RC)                08/11/1994 (23)  Huesca               2      0      5'9"   9st 10lbs  £825K  
3      Papy Djilobodji           D (C)                 01/12/1988 (29)  Sunderland           32     0      6'4"   12st 12lbs £5M    
4      Naby Sarr                 D (C)                 13/08/1993 (24)  Charlton             0      0      6'5"   14st 11lbs £850K  
5      Kalidou Koulibaly         D (C)                 20/06/1991 (26)  Napoli               22     1      6'5"   13st 12lbs £24M   
6      Mohamed Diamé             M/AM (C)              14/06/1987 (31)  Newcastle            41     2      6'0"   11st 2lbs  £3.4M  
7      Sadio Mané                M/AM (R), ST (C)      10/04/1992 (26)  Liverpool            56     24     5'9"   10st 12lbs £41M   
8      Idrissa Gueye             DM, M (C)             20/06/1989 (28)  Everton              50     0      5'9"   10st 1lb   £18.5M 
9      Keita Baldé               AM (RL), ST (C)       08/03/1995 (23)  Lazio                14     6      5'11"  12st 1lb   £17.5M 
10     Amath N'Diaye             AM (RL), ST (C)       16/07/1996 (21)  Celta                4      0      5'9"   10st 5lbs  £8.5M  
11     Diafra Sakho              ST (C)                24/12/1989 (28)  Betis                18     11     6'0"   12st 6lbs  £4M    
12     Ferland Mendy             D (L)                 08/06/1995 (23)  Le Havre             5      0      5'10"  10st 9lbs  £2.9M  
13     Abdoulaye Diallo          GK                    30/03/1992 (26)  Rennes               9      0      6'3"   12st 12lbs £1.6M  
14     Mory Diaw                 GK                    22/06/1993 (24)  Beira-Mar            0      0      6'5"   13st 12lbs £0     
15     Moussa Sow                M (L), AM (LC)        19/01/1986 (32)  Al-Ahli (UAE)        48     16     5'11"  12st 8lbs  £400K  
16     Alfred N'Diaye            DM, M (C)             06/03/1990 (28)  Villarreal           15     0      6'2"   13st 9lbs  £3.6M  
17     Cheikhou Kouyaté          D (C), DM, M (C)      21/12/1989 (28)  Milan                28     2      6'4"   12st 3lbs  £10.25M
18     Pape Souaré               D/WB (L)              06/06/1990 (28)  Crystal Palace       34     1      5'10"  10st 9lbs  £3M    
19     Pape Diop                 DM, M (C)             19/03/1986 (32)  Espanyol             13     2      5'11"  11st 6lbs  £625K  
20     Henri Saivet              M (C), AM (LC)        26/10/1990 (27)  Newcastle            22     0      5'8"   11st 0lbs  £8.5M  
21     Youssouf Sabaly           D/WB (RL)             05/03/1993 (25)  Watford              16     0      5'9"   10st 1lb   £3.7M  
22     Kara                      D/M (C)               11/11/1989 (28)  Anderlecht           38     3      6'3"   13st 12lbs £5.25M 
23     Ibrahima Mbaye            D/WB/M (RL)           19/11/1994 (23)  Bologna              7      0      6'2"   11st 0lbs  £2.3M  

SPAIN


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Sergio Asenjo             GK                    28/06/1989 (28)  Villarreal           3      0      6'0"   13st 3lbs  £9.75M 
2      Nacho                     D (RLC)               18/01/1990 (28)  Real Madrid          7      0      5'10"  11st 11lbs £27M   
3      Gerard Piqué              SW, D (C), DM         02/02/1987 (31)  Barcelona            94     5      6'4"   13st 5lbs  £13.5M 
4      Sergio Ramos              D (C)                 30/03/1986 (32)  Real Madrid          153    10     6'0"   12st 10lbs £8M    
5      Jorge Meré                D (C)                 17/04/1997 (21)  PSG                  6      0      6'0"   12st 1lb   £26.5M 
6      Koke                      M (RLC)               08/01/1992 (26)  PSG                  40     1      5'10"  11st 6lbs  £48M   
7      Pedro                     AM (RLC), ST (C)      28/07/1987 (30)  Chelsea              68     18     5'7"   10st 3lbs  £13.5M 
8      Andrés Iniesta            DM, M/AM (LC)         11/05/1984 (34)  Barcelona            125    12     5'7"   10st 7lbs  £3.1M  
9      Álvaro Morata             ST (C)                23/10/1992 (25)  Liverpool            31     13     6'2"   12st 8lbs  £31.5M 
10     Juan Bernat               D/WB/M/AM (L)         01/03/1993 (25)  FC Bayern            8      1      5'8"   10st 7lbs  £41.5M 
11     Sandro                    AM (RL), ST (C)       09/07/1995 (22)  Arsenal              4      1      5'9"   11st 4lbs  £34.5M 
12     Sergio Busquets           DM, M (C)             16/07/1988 (29)  Barcelona            103    3      6'2"   11st 13lbs £28.5M 
13     David De Gea              GK                    07/11/1990 (27)  Man Utd              30     0      6'4"   11st 13lbs £31.5M 
14     Sergio Rico               GK                    01/09/1993 (24)  Sevilla              2      0      6'4"   14st 2lbs  £6M    
15     Dani Carvajal             D (RL), WB (R)        11/01/1992 (26)  Real Madrid          22     3      5'8"   11st 6lbs  £27M   
16     Saúl                      D (C), DM, M/AM (C)   21/11/1994 (23)  Atlético             12     3      6'0"   11st 0lbs  £38M   
17     Isco                      M/AM (RLC)            21/04/1992 (26)  Real Madrid          27     5      5'9"   11st 9lbs  £42M   
18     Jordi Alba                D/WB/M/AM (L)         21/03/1989 (29)  Man City             56     7      5'7"   10st 9lbs  £25M   
19     Diego Costa               ST (C)                07/10/1988 (29)  Arsenal              20     6      6'1"   13st 7lbs  £27M   
20     Vitolo                    M (RL), AM (RLC)      02/11/1989 (28)  Sevilla              6      0      6'0"   12st 8lbs  £27.5M 
21     César Azpilicueta         D (RLC), WB (RL)      28/08/1989 (28)  FC Bayern            33     0      5'10"  12st 3lbs  £32.5M 
22     Juan Mata                 M (C), AM (RLC)       28/04/1988 (30)  Man Utd              57     21     5'7"   10st 3lbs  £25.5M 
23     Marco Asensio             M/AM (RLC)            21/01/1996 (22)  Real Madrid          4      0      5'11"  11st 0lbs  £48.5M 

 


GROUP F: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Cameroon, Romania

Spoiler

ARGENTINA


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Agustín Marchesín         GK                    16/03/1988 (30)  América (MEX)        2      0      6'2"   13st 0lbs  £4.8M  
2      Nicolás Tagliafico        D (LC), WB/M (L)      31/08/1992 (25)  Independiente        7      0      5'8"   10st 5lbs  £2.1M  
3      Jonathan Silva            D/WB (L)              29/06/1994 (23)  Sporting             8      0      5'10"  10st 12lbs £6.5M  
4      Gino Peruzzi              D/WB (R)              09/06/1992 (26)  Boca                 11     0      5'10"  11st 9lbs  £2.5M  
5      Ezequiel Garay            D (C)                 10/10/1986 (31)  Valencia             26     0      6'2"   13st 0lbs  £3.5M  
6      Erik Lamela               M (R), AM (RLC)       04/03/1992 (26)  Tottenham            31     8      6'0"   12st 8lbs  £38.5M 
7      Ángel Di María            M (LC), AM (RLC)      14/02/1988 (30)  PSG                  85     16     5'11"  11st 0lbs  £24.5M 
8      Nicolás Gaitán            M (L), AM (RLC)       23/02/1988 (30)  Atlético             26     3      5'8"   10st 9lbs  £13M   
9      Gonzalo Higuaín           AM (C), ST (C)        10/12/1987 (30)  Juventus             82     37     6'0"   12st 12lbs £28M   
10     Sergio Agüero             AM (C), ST (C)        02/06/1988 (30)  Man City             87     38     5'8"   11st 9lbs  £37M   
11     Ángel Correa              AM (LC), ST (C)       09/03/1995 (23)  Atlético             5      1      5'9"   10st 7lbs  £23M   
12     Lucas Biglia              DM, M (C)             30/01/1986 (32)  Milan                62     1      5'10"  11st 9lbs  £4.2M  
13     Gerónimo Rulli            GK                    10/04/1992 (26)  Real Sociedad        19     0      6'2"   12st 8lbs  £17.75M
14     Nahuel Guzmán             GK                    10/02/1986 (32)  Tigres               5      0      6'4"   14st 2lbs  £2.9M  
15     Nicolás Otamendi          D (C)                 12/02/1988 (30)  Man City             54     3      6'0"   12st 10lbs £16.5M 
16     Ever Banega               DM, M/AM (C)          29/06/1988 (29)  Inter                53     6      5'9"   11st 2lbs  £19.25M
17     Mateo Musacchio           D (C)                 26/08/1990 (27)  Chelsea              15     1      6'0"   12st 8lbs  £30.5M 
18     Eduardo Salvio            M/AM (R)              13/05/1990 (28)  Benfica              9      1      5'8"   11st 2lbs  £18M   
19     Matías Kranevitter        DM, M (C)             21/05/1993 (25)  Atlético             17     0      5'10"  11st 11lbs £16.75M
20     Javier Mascherano         D (C), DM             08/06/1984 (34)  Barcelona            144    3      5'9"   11st 6lbs  £2.8M  
21     Paulo Dybala              AM (C), ST (C)        15/11/1993 (24)  Juventus             10     3      5'9"   11st 6lbs  £57M   
22     Gabriel Mercado           D (RC), WB (R)        18/03/1987 (31)  Sevilla              24     3      5'11"  13st 0lbs  £5M    
23     Marcos Rojo               D (LC)                20/03/1990 (28)  Southampton          55     2      6'2"   12st 8lbs  £10M   

SAUDI ARABIA


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Walid Abdullah            GK                    19/04/1986 (32)                       85     0      6'5"   12st 12lbs £0     
2      Mustafa Al-Bassas         M (C), AM (RC)        02/06/1993 (25)  Ulsan                16     0      5'8"   10st 5lbs  £400K  
3      Yasir Al-Shahrani         D (RL)                25/05/1992 (26)  Jeonnam              37     0      5'7"   9st 10lbs  £350K  
4      Fahad Hamad               D (C), DM, M (C)      23/11/1989 (28)  Al-Ahli (KSA)        18     0      5'10"  11st 4lbs  £900K  
5      Abdullah Al-Zoari         D (LC)                13/08/1987 (30)  Al-Hilal (KSA)       76     3      5'10"  11st 6lbs  £525K  
6      Taisir Al-Jasim           DM, M (RC)            25/07/1984 (33)  Al-Ahli (KSA)        129    14     5'7"   10st 1lb   £215K  
7      Ibrahim Ghaleb            DM, M (C)             28/09/1990 (27)                       38     0      5'9"   9st 10lbs  £0     
8      Yahya Al-Shehri           AM (RLC)              26/06/1990 (27)  Al-Nassr (KSA)       57     10     5'5"   9st 6lbs   £1.4M  
9      Nawaf Al-Abed             AM (RC)               26/01/1990 (28)  Al-Hilal (KSA)       36     4      5'6"   9st 4lbs   £1.1M  
10     Fahad Al-Muwallad         ST (C)                14/09/1994 (23)  Al-Ittihad (KSA)     39     8      5'6"   9st 4lbs   £1.3M  
11     Naif Hazzazi              AM (C), ST (C)        27/07/1988 (29)  Al-Nassr (KSA)       70     20     5'11"  11st 4lbs  £600K  
12     Mohammed Jahfali          D (C)                 24/10/1990 (27)  Pohang               17     1      6'1"   12st 1lb   £375K  
13     Mohammed Al-Owais         GK                    10/10/1991 (26)  Al-Wehda             0      0      6'1"   11st 0lbs  £325K  
14     Abdullah Al-Oaisher       GK                    13/06/1991 (27)  Al-Fateh             0      0      6'0"   11st 6lbs  £625K  
15     Motaz Hawsawi             D (LC)                17/02/1992 (26)  Al-Ahli (KSA)        34     0      5'10"  11st 6lbs  £1.1M  
16     Saad Awadh Al-Rubaie      D (L)                 04/06/1994 (24)  Al-Ahli (KSA)        16     0      6'2"   12st 6lbs  £900K  
17     Waleed Bakshween          D (RC)                12/11/1989 (28)  Al-Ahli (KSA)        30     1      5'9"   10st 1lb   £675K  
18     Abdulkarim Al-Qahtani     M/AM (L)              09/02/1993 (25)  Al-Hilal (KSA)       18     3      5'4"   9st 1lb    £1.8M  
19     Hussain Al-Mogahwi        M (L)                 24/03/1988 (30)  Al-Ahli (KSA)        19     1      5'8"   10st 1lb   £700K  
20     Ahmed Assiri              D (C)                 14/11/1991 (26)  Al-Ittihad (KSA)     9      0      5'10"  9st 12lbs  £625K  
21     Shaya Sharahli            DM, M (L)             30/05/1990 (28)                       17     1      5'9"   10st 3lbs  £0     
22     Abdulrahman Khalid Al-Rio D (C)                 15/05/1994 (24)  Al-Ittihad (KSA)     0      0      6'0"   12st 10lbs £325K  
23     Jamal Ba Jandooh          AM (R)                22/08/1992 (25)                       1      1      5'9"   10st 7lbs  £0     

CAMEROON


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Carlos Kameni             GK                    18/02/1984 (34)  Málaga               89     0      6'1"   13st 5lbs  £1.5M  
2      Allan Nyom                D (R)                 10/05/1988 (30)  West Brom            28     1      6'2"   12st 3lbs  £1.7M  
3      Collins Fai               D/WB (RL)             13/08/1992 (25)  Standard             22     0      5'4"   11st 4lbs  £2.8M  
4      Joël Matip                D (C)                 08/08/1991 (26)  Liverpool            43     1      6'5"   14st 2lbs  £26.5M 
5      Nicolas Nkoulou           D (C)                 27/03/1990 (28)  Lyon                 81     1      5'11"  12st 1lb   £3.7M  
6      Maxim Choupo-Moting       M/AM (RL), ST (C)     23/03/1989 (29)  Schalke              59     16     6'2"   12st 12lbs £7.25M 
7      Paul-Georges Ntep         M/AM (RL)             29/07/1992 (25)  Wolfsburg            8      2      5'11"  12st 12lbs £10.5M 
8      Ibrahim Amadou            DM, M (C)             06/04/1993 (25)  Lille                7      0      6'0"   12st 10lbs £3.9M  
9      Vincent Aboubakar         ST (C)                22/01/1992 (26)  Saint-Étienne        60     23     6'0"   13st 0lbs  £9.25M 
10     Clinton N'Jié             AM (RL), ST (C)       15/08/1993 (24)  Marseille            24     10     5'9"   10st 9lbs  £8.25M 
11     Benjamin Moukandjo        AM (R), ST (C)        12/11/1988 (29)  Lorient              33     4      5'11"  11st 11lbs £1.3M  
12     Franck Bambock            DM, M (C)             07/04/1995 (23)  Rangers              3      0      5'11"  12st 1lb   £1.9M  
13     Axel Ngando               M/AM (C)              13/07/1993 (24)  Bastia               6      0      5'10"  11st 2lbs  £3.7M  
14     André Onana               GK                    02/04/1996 (22)  Ajax                 3      0      6'3"   13st 3lbs  £5.5M  
15     Guy Roland Ndy Assembe    GK                    28/02/1986 (32)  Nancy                10     0      6'1"   13st 7lbs  £575K  
16     Karl Toko Ekambi          ST (C)                14/09/1992 (25)  Angers               4      0      6'1"   11st 0lbs  £3.7M  
17     Stéphane Mbia             D (C), DM, M (C)      20/05/1986 (32)  Hebei CFFC           76     6      6'2"   12st 8lbs  £4.2M  
18     Arnaud Djoum              M/AM (C)              02/05/1989 (29)  Hearts               14     1      6'0"   12st 3lbs  £1.6M  
19     Daniel Ndi                M/AM (C)              18/08/1995 (22)  Getafe               12     0      5'10"  11st 13lbs £950K  
20     Eyong Enoh                DM, M (C)             23/03/1986 (32)  Standard             57     2      5'9"   11st 0lbs  £170K  
21     Aurélien Chedjou          D (C), DM             20/06/1985 (32)  Galatasaray          49     1      6'0"   13st 7lbs  £300K  
22     Jean-Patrick Abouna       D (R)                 27/09/1990 (27)  Ulsan                10     0      5'8"   10st 12lbs £275K  
23     Souleymanou Moussa        D/WB/M (L)            12/10/1994 (23)  Pandurii Tg. Jiu     1      0      5'11"  11st 2lbs  £225K  

ROMANIA


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Silviu Lung jr            GK                    04/06/1989 (29)  Astra Giurgiu        3      0      6'2"   12st 3lbs  £950K  
2      Romario Benzar            D/WB (R)              26/03/1992 (26)  FC Viitorul          17     0      5'10"  12st 6lbs  £1.1M  
3      Alexandru Vlad            D/WB (L)              06/12/1989 (28)  Dnipro               3      0      5'9"   10st 9lbs  £5.25M 
4      Valerica Gaman            D (C)                 25/02/1989 (29)  Karabükspor          24     2      6'2"   11st 2lbs  £1.5M  
5      Paul Papp                 D (RC)                11/11/1989 (28)  Karabükspor          19     3      6'2"   13st 5lbs  £2.3M  
6      Paul Anton                DM, M (C)             10/05/1991 (27)  Getafe               17     0      6'0"   12st 3lbs  £4.3M  
7      Florin Tănase             AM (LC), ST (C)       30/12/1994 (23)  Udinese              16     7      6'1"   11st 2lbs  £7.25M 
8      Alexandru Maxim           M (RL), AM (RLC)      08/07/1990 (27)  Stuttgart            41     7      5'10"  11st 0lbs  £5.5M  
9      Denis Alibec              ST (C)                05/01/1991 (27)  Crystal Palace       12     5      6'2"   12st 1lb   £8.75M 
10     Nicolae Stanciu           M (C), AM (RC)        07/05/1993 (25)  Anderlecht           24     4      5'7"   10st 12lbs £12.75M
11     Andrei Ivan               AM (RL), ST (C)       04/01/1997 (21)  CS U Craiova         9      0      6'2"   12st 10lbs £11.5M 
12     Florin Andone             ST (C)                11/04/1993 (25)  Napoli               15     12     5'11"  12st 3lbs  £28.5M 
13     Ciprian Tatarusanu        GK                    09/02/1986 (32)  Fiorentina           60     0      6'5"   13st 12lbs £1.2M  
14     Valentin Cojocaru         GK                    01/10/1995 (22)  FCSB                 1      0      6'5"   14st 0lbs  £450K  
15     Ianis Hagi                AM (RLC)              22/10/1998 (19)  Leicester            8      0      5'11"  11st 2lbs  £4M    
16     Vlad Chiriches            D (RC)                14/11/1989 (28)  Napoli               49     0      6'0"   11st 11lbs £8.75M 
17     Dragoş Nedelcu            D (C), DM, M (C)      16/02/1997 (21)  FC Viitorul          9      1      6'2"   12st 10lbs £1.4M  
18     Steliano Filip            D/WB (L)              15/05/1994 (24)  Basel                22     0      5'10"  11st 6lbs  £2.5M  
19     Bogdan Ţîru               D (C)                 15/03/1994 (24)  FC Viitorul          0      0      6'2"   12st 8lbs  £950K  
20     Florinel Coman            AM (L), ST (C)        10/04/1998 (20)  Al-Nassr (KSA)       1      0      6'0"   12st 1lb   £1.9M  
21     Florin Gardos             D (C)                 29/10/1988 (29)  Rennes               24     0      6'4"   12st 10lbs £1.7M  
22     Gabriel Torje             M (RL), AM (RLC)      22/11/1989 (28)  Terek                45     10     5'6"   9st 12lbs  £3.5M  
23     Robert Hodorogea          D (RC)                24/03/1995 (23)  FC Viitorul          0      0      6'0"   11st 11lbs £950K  

 


GROUP G: Belgium, United States, Chile, Slovenia

Spoiler

BELGIUM


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Thibaut Courtois          GK                    11/05/1992 (26)  Chelsea              60     0      6'6"   14st 11lbs £28.5M 
2      Thomas Meunier            D/WB (R), M (RC)      12/09/1991 (26)  PSG                  25     1      6'3"   12st 12lbs £16.75M
3      Jordan Lukaku             D (RL), WB/M (L)      25/07/1994 (23)  Bournemouth          21     0      5'10"  13st 0lbs  £3.9M  
4      Vincent Kompany           D (C), DM             10/04/1986 (32)  Man City             86     6      6'4"   14st 6lbs  £5M    
5      Leander Dendoncker        D (C), DM, M (C)      15/04/1995 (23)  Anderlecht           6      0      6'2"   13st 0lbs  £15M   
6      Radja Nainggolan          DM, M/AM (C)          04/05/1988 (30)  Roma                 40     6      5'9"   10st 3lbs  £17.25M
7      Dennis Praet              M/AM (LC)             14/05/1994 (24)  Napoli               7      1      5'11"  12st 3lbs  £21M   
8      Yannick Carrasco          M (L), AM (RL)        04/09/1993 (24)  Man City             19     2      5'11"  10st 5lbs  £40M   
9      Christian Benteke         ST (C)                03/12/1990 (27)  Crystal Palace       39     13     6'3"   13st 7lbs  £27.5M 
10     Eden Hazard               M/AM (RLC)            07/01/1991 (27)  PSG                  86     24     5'8"   11st 13lbs £64M   
11     Michy Batshuayi           ST (C)                02/10/1993 (24)  Málaga               19     8      6'1"   13st 5lbs  £12.25M
12     Corentin Fiore            D (LC)                24/03/1995 (23)  Standard             1      0      6'0"   11st 11lbs £6M    
13     Matz Sels                 GK                    26/02/1992 (26)  Newcastle            0      0      6'3"   11st 11lbs £2.5M  
14     Kevin De Bruyne           M/AM (RLC)            28/06/1991 (26)  Man City             60     19     5'11"  11st 13lbs £61M   
15     Colin Coosemans           GK                    03/08/1992 (25)  KV Mechelen          0      0      6'1"   12st 10lbs £1.6M  
16     Thomas Vermaelen          D (C)                 14/11/1985 (32)  Roma                 70     1      6'0"   12st 8lbs  £2.7M  
17     Jan Vertonghen            SW, D (LC)            24/04/1987 (31)  Tottenham            96     6      6'2"   12st 6lbs  £11.5M 
18     Toby Alderweireld         D (RC)                02/03/1989 (29)  Tottenham            76     2      6'1"   12st 10lbs £20.5M 
19     Romelu Lukaku             ST (C)                13/05/1993 (25)  Everton              64     21     6'3"   14st 11lbs £31M   
20     Dries Mertens             AM (RLC), ST (C)      06/05/1987 (31)  Napoli               67     11     5'7"   9st 8lbs   £9.25M 
21     Youri Tielemans           DM, M/AM (C)          07/05/1997 (21)  Anderlecht           6      0      5'10"  11st 11lbs £16M   
22     Mousa Dembélé             DM, M/AM (C)          17/07/1987 (30)  Tottenham            81     8      6'1"   12st 10lbs £12.5M 
23     Jason Denayer             D (RC), DM            28/06/1995 (22)  Saint-Étienne        10     0      6'0"   11st 11lbs £9.25M 

UNITED STATES


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Brad Guzan                GK                    09/09/1984 (33)  Atlanta United       59     0      6'4"   14st 9lbs  £2.3M  
2      Timothy Chandler          D/WB/M/AM (R)         29/03/1990 (28)  Frankfurt            38     1      6'1"   12st 8lbs  £2M    
3      Fabian Johnson            D/WB/M (RL), AM (L)   11/12/1987 (30)  Gladbach             73     3      6'0"   11st 0lbs  £5M    
4      Geoff Cameron             D (RC), DM, M (C)     11/07/1985 (32)  Stoke                43     4      6'3"   13st 3lbs  £33.5K 
5      Matt Besler               D (C)                 11/02/1987 (31)  Sporting Kansas City 47     1      6'0"   12st 3lbs  £1.1M  
6      Bobby Wood                M/AM (RL), ST (C)     15/11/1992 (25)  HSV                  46     21     5'11"  13st 0lbs  £5.75M 
7      Michael Bradley           DM, M (C)             31/07/1987 (30)  Toronto FC           141    19     6'2"   12st 8lbs  £2.1M  
8      Emerson Hyndman           DM, M (C)             09/04/1996 (22)  Bournemouth          10     0      5'8"   9st 8lbs   £8.25M 
9      Sebastian Lletget         M/AM (RLC)            03/09/1992 (25)  LA Galaxy            5      1      5'10"  10st 12lbs £3.1M  
10     Christian Pulisic         M (RL), AM (RLC)      18/09/1998 (19)  Tottenham            29     4      5'9"   11st 4lbs  £32M   
11     Wil Trapp                 DM, M (C)             15/01/1993 (25)  Columbus             4      0      5'8"   10st 12lbs £4M    
12     John Brooks               D (C)                 28/01/1993 (25)  Hertha BSC           41     5      6'4"   12st 3lbs  £13.75M
13     William Yarbrough         GK                    20/03/1989 (29)  León                 17     0      5'11"  12st 3lbs  £2.8M  
14     Sean Johnson              GK                    31/05/1989 (29)  New York City        5      0      6'3"   15st 8lbs  £2.8M  
15     Omar González             D (C)                 11/10/1988 (29)  Santos Laguna        50     2      6'5"   15st 1lb   £2.2M  
16     Matt Miazga               D (C)                 19/07/1995 (22)  Chelsea              8      0      6'3"   13st 3lbs  £8.25M 
17     Jozy Altidore             ST (C)                06/11/1989 (28)  Toronto FC           112    37     6'0"   12st 8lbs  £3.9M  
18     Alfredo Morales           DM, M (C)             12/05/1990 (28)  Ingolstadt           32     1      6'0"   12st 1lb   £2.8M  
19     Édgar Castillo            D/WB (L)              08/10/1986 (31)  Monterrey            33     1      5'7"   9st 10lbs  £850K  
20     Aron Jóhannsson           ST (C)                10/11/1990 (27)  Mainz                36     10     6'0"   11st 0lbs  £3.1M  
21     Alejandro Bedoya          M (RC)                29/04/1987 (31)  Philadelphia         61     3      5'10"  11st 11lbs £1.2M  
22     Danny Williams            DM, M (C)             08/03/1989 (29)  Reading              28     1      6'0"   12st 3lbs  £7.5M  
23     Tim Ream                  D (LC)                05/10/1987 (30)  Fulham               17     0      6'1"   11st 6lbs  £1.1M  

CHILE


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Claudio Bravo             GK                    13/04/1983 (35)  Man City             128    0      6'0"   12st 8lbs  £2.1M  
2      Mauricio Isla             D/WB (R), M (RC)      12/06/1988 (30)  Cagliari             101    3      5'9"   11st 2lbs  £6.75M 
3      Fernando Cordero          D/WB/M/AM (L)         26/08/1987 (30)  Universidad Católica 1      0      5'8"   10st 5lbs  £1.1M  
4      Enzo Roco                 SW, D (C)             16/08/1992 (25)  Monterrey            21     3      6'3"   12st 8lbs  £3.9M  
5      Benjamín Kuscevic         D (C)                 02/05/1996 (22)  Universidad Católica 1      0      6'1"   12st 8lbs  £1.9M  
6      Eduardo Vargas            AM (RLC), ST (C)      20/11/1989 (28)  Tigres               82     37     5'9"   11st 13lbs £4.7M  
7      Diego Rojas               M/AM (C)              15/02/1995 (23)  Universidad Católica 1      0      5'5"   9st 8lbs   £1.3M  
8      Stefano Magnasco          D/WB/M (R)            28/09/1992 (25)  Universidad Católica 5      0      5'9"   11st 4lbs  £2.4M  
9      Alexis Sánchez            AM (RLC), ST (C)      19/12/1988 (29)  Arsenal              106    36     5'7"   10st 9lbs  £27.5M 
10     Ángelo Henríquez          ST (C)                13/04/1994 (24)  Dinamo               10     2      5'9"   11st 4lbs  £2.1M  
11     José Pedro Fuenzalida     D/WB/M/AM (R)         22/02/1985 (33)  Universidad Católica 37     3      5'7"   10st 7lbs  £275K  
12     Oscar Opazo               D (R)                 18/10/1990 (27)  Universidad Católica 4      0      5'6"   10st 9lbs  £2M    
13     Cristopher Toselli        GK                    15/06/1988 (29)  Universidad Católica 9      0      6'0"   11st 11lbs £2M    
14     Paulo Garcés              GK                    02/08/1984 (33)  Colo Colo            0      0      6'0"   12st 1lb   £245K  
15     Eugenio Mena              D/WB/M (L)            18/07/1988 (29)  Cruzeiro             51     3      5'9"   10st 12lbs £1.4M  
16     Carlos Muñoz              ST (C)                21/04/1989 (29)  Talleres Cba.        9      2      5'9"   11st 6lbs  £1.7M  
17     Gary Medel                D (C), DM, M (C)      03/08/1987 (30)  Inter                113    9      5'7"   11st 13lbs £175K  
18     Juan Cornejo              D (LC), WB/M (L)      27/09/1990 (27)  León                 21     1      5'9"   12st 3lbs  £2.3M  
19     Guillermo Maripán         D (C)                 06/05/1994 (24)  Universidad Católica 4      0      6'4"   13st 0lbs  £2.3M  
20     Charles Aránguiz          DM, M (C)             17/04/1989 (29)  Leverkusen           60     7      5'8"   10st 7lbs  £14.75M
21     Marcelo Díaz              DM, M (C)             30/12/1986 (31)  Celta                56     1      5'5"   10st 1lb   £2M    
22     Luis Casanova             SW, D (C), DM         01/07/1992 (25)  Unión Española       7      0      6'0"   13st 0lbs  £1.5M  
23     Arturo Vidal              D (C), DM, M (C)      22/05/1987 (31)  FC Bayern            100    17     5'11"  11st 11lbs £20M   

SLOVENIA


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Jan Oblak                 GK                    07/01/1993 (25)  Atlético             29     0      6'1"   12st 1lb   £10.5M 
2      Petar Stojanovic          D/WB/M/AM (R)         07/10/1995 (22)  Southampton          24     1      5'10"  11st 9lbs  £13.25M
3      Bojan Jokic               D/WB (L)              17/05/1986 (32)  Ufa                  94     1      5'9"   11st 11lbs £450K  
4      Nemanja Mitrovic          D (C)                 15/10/1992 (25)  Olimpija             4      0      6'4"   13st 3lbs  £950K  
5      Leo Ejup                  D (C), DM             09/09/1994 (23)  Al-Khaleej (KSA)     7      0      6'2"   12st 6lbs  £500K  
6      Kevin Kampl               M/AM (RLC)            09/10/1990 (27)  Leverkusen           41     3      5'10"  10st 3lbs  £20.5M 
7      Josip Ilicic              M (C), AM (RC)        29/01/1988 (30)  Fiorentina           62     11     6'3"   12st 6lbs  £6.25M 
8      Valter Birsa              M (C), AM (RLC)       07/08/1986 (31)  Chievo               90     7      6'0"   12st 10lbs £2.4M  
9      Robert Beric              ST (C)                17/06/1991 (26)  Saint-Étienne        27     6      6'2"   12st 8lbs  £4.6M  
10     Sandi Ogrinec             DM                    05/06/1998 (20)  Malmö FF             4      1      5'10"  11st 4lbs  £975K  
11     Andraz Sporar             ST (C)                27/02/1994 (24)  Basel                12     1      5'11"  11st 11lbs £6.25M 
12     Miha Mevlja               D (C)                 12/06/1990 (28)  Rostov               10     0      6'3"   13st 0lbs  £3.1M  
13     Vid Belec                 GK                    06/06/1990 (28)  Carpi                3      0      6'4"   13st 3lbs  £1M    
14     Grega Sorcan              GK                    05/03/1996 (22)  Maribor              0      0      6'2"   12st 3lbs  £600K  
15     Jasmin Kurtic             DM, M (RC), AM (C)    10/01/1989 (29)  Atalanta             38     1      6'1"   13st 7lbs  £675K  
16     Nejc Skubic               D/WB (RL)             13/06/1989 (29)  Konyaspor            3      0      5'9"   10st 7lbs  £1.4M  
17     Martin Kramaric           AM (RC), ST (C)       14/11/1997 (20)  Maribor              4      3      5'10"  11st 0lbs  £500K  
18     Rene Krhin                D (C), DM, M (C)      21/05/1990 (28)  Granada              44     2      6'2"   12st 3lbs  £1M    
19     Benjamin Verbic           M (RL), AM (RLC)      27/11/1993 (24)  Rennes               17     0      5'10"  11st 0lbs  £1.9M  
20     Tine Kavcic               D (C), DM             16/02/1994 (24)  Dinamo Bucureşti     2      0      6'0"   12st 1lb   £850K  
21     Blaz Vrhovec              DM, M (C)             20/02/1992 (26)  SK Rapid Wien        22     0      5'11"  11st 6lbs  £2.2M  
22     Jure Balkovec             D/WB (L)              09/09/1994 (23)  Osasuna              13     0      6'1"   12st 1lb   £1.6M  
23     Dino Hotic                DM, M (C), AM (RC)    26/07/1995 (22)  Osasuna              13     1      5'6"   9st 10lbs  £1.4M  

 


GROUP H: Germany, China, Colombia, Netherlands

Spoiler

GERMANY


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Bernd Leno                GK                    04/03/1992 (26)  Leverkusen           1      0      6'3"   12st 6lbs  £21M   
2      Yannick Gerhardt          D/WB (L), DM, M (C)   13/03/1994 (24)  Wolfsburg            8      0      6'0"   12st 10lbs £27.5M 
3      Benjamin Henrichs         D (RL), WB (R), M (C) 23/02/1997 (21)  Leverkusen           14     1      6'0"   11st 13lbs £33.5M 
4      Joshua Kimmich            D (RC), WB (R), DM    08/02/1995 (23)  FC Bayern            22     1      5'9"   11st 0lbs  £45M   
5      Niklas Süle               D (C)                 03/09/1995 (22)  FC Bayern            5      0      6'4"   14st 4lbs  £30.5M 
6      Kevin Volland             M/AM (R), ST (C)      30/07/1992 (25)  Leverkusen           14     2      5'10"  12st 12lbs £36M   
7      Ilkay Gündogan            DM, M/AM (C)          24/10/1990 (27)  Man City             37     8      5'11"  12st 6lbs  £42M   
8      Leon Goretzka             DM, M (C), AM (LC)    06/02/1995 (23)  Schalke              3      0      6'2"   12st 6lbs  £26M   
9      André Schürrle            AM (RLC), ST (C)      06/11/1990 (27)  Dortmund             75     26     6'0"   11st 9lbs  £38.5M 
10     Toni Kroos                DM, M (C)             04/01/1990 (28)  Real Madrid          92     12     6'0"   12st 3lbs  £44.5M 
11     Marco Reus                AM (RLC), ST (C)      31/05/1989 (29)  Dortmund             40     20     5'11"  11st 6lbs  £38M   
12     Mesut Özil                AM (RLC)              15/10/1988 (29)  Arsenal              101    27     6'0"   11st 4lbs  £28.5M 
13     Manuel Neuer              GK                    27/03/1986 (32)  FC Bayern            92     0      6'4"   14st 2lbs  £25M   
14     Marc-André ter Stegen     GK                    30/04/1992 (26)  Barcelona            8      0      6'2"   13st 5lbs  £31M   
15     Mats Hummels              D (C)                 16/12/1988 (29)  FC Bayern            70     5      6'3"   14st 6lbs  £32.5M 
16     Mario Götze               AM (RLC), ST (C)      03/06/1992 (26)  Dortmund             71     21     5'9"   11st 6lbs  £43.5M 
17     Jérôme Boateng            D (C)                 03/09/1988 (29)  FC Bayern            81     1      6'4"   14st 2lbs  £31.5M 
18     Leroy Sané                M (RL), AM (RLC)      11/01/1996 (22)  Man City             20     3      6'0"   11st 11lbs £44M   
19     Jonas Hector              D/WB (L), DM, M (C)   27/05/1990 (28)  Köln                 40     1      6'1"   11st 11lbs £28M   
20     Thomas Müller             AM (RC), ST (C)       13/09/1989 (28)  FC Bayern            97     50     6'1"   11st 9lbs  £45.5M 
21     Sami Khedira              DM, M (C)             04/04/1987 (31)  Juventus             81     6      6'2"   14st 2lbs  £14M   
22     Julian Brandt             M (RL), AM (RLC)      02/05/1996 (22)  Leverkusen           3      0      6'1"   12st 12lbs £49M   
23     Shkodran Mustafi          D (RC)                17/04/1992 (26)  Arsenal              25     1      6'0"   12st 12lbs £29M   

CHINA


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Yan Junling               GK                    28/01/1991 (27)  Shanghai SIPG        22     0      6'3"   13st 0lbs  £650K  
2      Li Áng                    D (C)                 15/09/1993 (24)  Jiangsu              21     0      6'2"   13st 5lbs  £575K  
3      Yang Xu                   ST (C)                12/02/1988 (30)  Shanghai Shenhua     46     21     6'2"   11st 0lbs  £88K   
4      Zhang Linpéng             D (RC), DM            09/05/1989 (29)  Jiangsu              71     9      6'1"   12st 8lbs  £4.4M  
5      Ren Hang                  D (L)                 23/02/1989 (29)  Hebei CFFC           37     1      6'1"   12st 1lb   £675K  
6      Zheng Long                M (L), AM (LC)        15/04/1988 (30)  Guangzhou Evergrande 15     3      5'10"  11st 11lbs £4M    
7      Wu Lei                    M (C), AM (RLC)       19/11/1991 (26)  Shanghai SIPG        50     8      5'9"   10st 5lbs  £2.9M  
8      Huang Bowen               DM, M/AM (C)          13/07/1987 (30)  Guangzhou Evergrande 52     3      5'11"  11st 2lbs  £900K  
9      Gào Lin                   AM (RL), ST (C)       14/02/1986 (32)  Ulsan                112    26     6'1"   11st 11lbs £205K  
10     Zhang Xizhe               M (C), AM (LC)        23/01/1990 (28)  Shanghai SIPG        20     3      5'11"  10st 3lbs  £1.4M  
11     Jiang Zhìpeng             D/WB/M (L)            06/03/1989 (29)  Shanghai SIPG        23     0      5'11"  11st 6lbs  £2.2M  
12     Wu Xi                     D (R), DM, M/AM (C)   19/02/1989 (29)  Jiangsu              52     6      5'11"  11st 11lbs £2M    
13     Zeng Cheng                GK                    08/01/1987 (31)  Guangzhou Evergrande 35     0      6'4"   12st 8lbs  £3.7M  
14     Wang Dalei                GK                    10/01/1989 (29)  Shandong             22     0      6'1"   11st 11lbs £625K  
15     Zhang Yuning              ST (C)                05/01/1997 (21)  Vitesse              19     18     6'0"   12st 8lbs  £650K  
16     Yu Hai                    M (LC), AM (L)        04/06/1987 (31)  Guangzhou Evergrande 81     16     6'0"   11st 0lbs  £375K  
17     Cai Huikang               DM, M (C)             10/10/1989 (28)  Guangzhou Evergrande 31     0      6'0"   12st 12lbs £525K  
18     Shi Ke                    D (RC)                08/01/1993 (25)  Jiangsu              18     2      6'0"   12st 8lbs  £1.7M  
19     Tang Miao                 D/WB (R)              16/10/1990 (27)  Shanghai SIPG        9      0      5'9"   11st 11lbs £1M    
20     Han Pengfei               D (C)                 28/04/1993 (25)  Shanghai SIPG        2      0      6'2"   12st 8lbs  £675K  
21     Mei Fang                  D (C)                 14/11/1989 (28)  Shanghai SIPG        18     0      6'2"   11st 11lbs £500K  
22     Dong Xuésheng             ST (C)                22/05/1989 (29)  Jiangsu              15     7      6'1"   12st 12lbs £600K  
23     Tan Long                  M/AM (C), ST (C)      02/02/1989 (29)  Changchun            4      2      6'0"   11st 2lbs  £275K  

COLOMBIA


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Franco Armani             GK                    16/10/1986 (31)  Atlético Nacional    2      0      6'2"   13st 5lbs  £150K  
2      Santiago Arias            D/WB (R)              13/01/1992 (26)  PSV                  30     0      5'10"  10st 9lbs  £4.3M  
3      Frank Fabra               D/WB (L)              22/02/1991 (27)  Boca                 21     1      5'8"   11st 4lbs  £1.9M  
4      Davinson Sánchez          D (C), DM             12/06/1996 (22)  Sporting             7      0      6'2"   12st 3lbs  £9.75M 
5      Jeison Murillo            D (C)                 27/05/1992 (26)  Inter                37     1      6'0"   11st 6lbs  £20.5M 
6      James Rodríguez           M/AM (RLC)            12/07/1991 (26)  Real Madrid          63     28     5'11"  12st 1lb   £47M   
7      Juan Cuadrado             WB/M/AM (R)           26/05/1988 (30)  Juventus             70     7      5'9"   10st 5lbs  £18.5M 
8      Sebastián Pérez           DM, M (C)             29/03/1993 (25)  Juventus             23     2      5'9"   11st 2lbs  £9.75M 
9      Radamel Falcao            AM (C), ST (C)        10/02/1986 (32)  Monaco               72     27     5'10"  11st 4lbs  £4.3M  
10     Jackson Martínez          AM (C), ST (C)        03/10/1986 (31)  Guangzhou Evergrande 50     13     6'1"   12st 8lbs  £8.75M 
11     Carlos Bacca              AM (C), ST (C)        08/09/1986 (31)  Milan                53     19     5'11"  12st 1lb   £7M    
12     Miguel Borja              ST (C)                26/01/1993 (25)  Palmeiras            13     4      6'0"   11st 13lbs £7.5M  
13     Camilo Vargas             GK                    09/03/1989 (29)  Atlético Nacional    11     0      6'1"   13st 7lbs  £245K  
14     Cristian Bonilla          GK                    02/06/1993 (25)  Santa Fe             1      0      6'2"   13st 3lbs  £275K  
15     Luis Muriel               ST (C)                18/04/1991 (27)  Sampdoria            12     1      5'10"  12st 6lbs  £7.5M  
16     Daniel Torres             DM, M (C)             15/11/1989 (28)  Alavés               23     2      6'0"   12st 8lbs  £12.25M
17     Alexander Mejía           DM, M (C)             11/07/1988 (29)  León                 27     0      5'10"  12st 6lbs  £2.1M  
18     Jonathan Copete           AM (L)                23/01/1988 (30)  Santos               1      0      6'2"   11st 4lbs  £2.6M  
19     Bernardo                  D (C)                 11/07/1989 (28)  Torino               4      0      6'4"   13st 5lbs  £7.5M  
20     Gustavo Cuéllar           DM, M (C)             14/10/1992 (25)  Flamengo             6      0      5'9"   11st 13lbs £5.75M 
21     Yerry Mina                D (C)                 23/09/1994 (23)  Palmeiras            7      0      6'4"   12st 6lbs  £4.7M  
22     Andrés Roa                M/AM (C)              25/05/1993 (25)  Toluca               8      1      5'9"   10st 7lbs  £2.8M  
23     Cristián Zapata           D (C)                 30/09/1986 (31)  Sassuolo             47     1      6'1"   12st 3lbs  £1.6M  

NETHERLANDS


NO.    NAME                      POSITIONS             D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB                 CAPS   GOALS  HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
1      Jeroen Zoet               GK                    06/01/1991 (27)  PSV                  5      0      6'2"   13st 5lbs  £4.8M  
2      Rick Karsdorp             D (R), DM, AM (C)     11/02/1995 (23)  Roma                 11     0      6'0"   12st 8lbs  £10.25M
3      Daley Sinkgraven          D/WB (L), M/AM (LC)   04/07/1995 (22)  Fenerbahçe           6      1      5'10"  10st 3lbs  £6M    
4      Stefan de Vrij            D (C)                 05/02/1992 (26)  Lazio                46     4      6'2"   11st 11lbs £21M   
5      Virgil van Dijk           D (C)                 08/07/1991 (26)  Real Madrid          23     1      6'4"   14st 4lbs  £25.5M 
6      Arjen Robben              M/AM (RL)             23/01/1984 (34)  FC Bayern            100    31     5'11"  11st 11lbs £86K   
7      Davy Klaassen             M/AM (C)              21/02/1993 (25)  Ajax                 18     3      5'11"  11st 11lbs £10.75M
8      Kevin Strootman           DM, M (C)             13/02/1990 (28)  Roma                 43     3      6'1"   12st 3lbs  £28M   
9      Luuk de Jong              ST (C)                27/08/1990 (27)  PSV                  29     12     6'2"   13st 7lbs  £9.25M 
10     Wesley Sneijder           M/AM (LC)             09/06/1984 (34)  Galatasaray          135    33     5'7"   10st 7lbs  £925K  
11     Memphis Depay             AM (L), ST (C)        13/02/1994 (24)  Lyon                 41     9      5'10"  12st 3lbs  £21.5M 
12     Daley Blind               D (LC), WB (L), DM    09/03/1990 (28)  Real Madrid          54     3      5'11"  11st 4lbs  £21M   
13     Jasper Cillessen          GK                    22/04/1989 (29)  Barcelona            49     0      6'2"   13st 3lbs  £7.75M 
14     Warner Hahn               GK                    15/06/1992 (25)  Feyenoord            0      0      6'3"   13st 12lbs £1.4M  
15     Jorrit Hendrix            D (C), DM, M (C)      06/02/1995 (23)  Inter                1      0      6'0"   11st 0lbs  £21.5M 
16     Quincy Promes             AM (RL), ST (C)       04/01/1992 (26)  Spartak Moscow       25     1      5'9"   11st 2lbs  £16.25M
17     Georginio Wijnaldum       M (RLC), AM (LC)      11/11/1990 (27)  Liverpool            47     9      5'9"   11st 9lbs  £19.5M 
18     Wesley Hoedt              D (C)                 06/03/1994 (24)  Villarreal           1      0      6'4"   12st 1lb   £17.25M
19     Bas Dost                  ST (C)                31/05/1989 (29)  Sporting             18     4      6'4"   12st 3lbs  £9.25M 
20     Jordy Clasie              DM, M (C)             27/06/1991 (26)  Southampton          22     0      5'7"   10st 9lbs  £20.5M 
21     Jetro Willems             D/WB (L)              30/03/1994 (24)  Atlético             27     0      5'7"   11st 2lbs  £8.5M  
22     Giovanni Troupée          D/WB (R)              20/03/1998 (20)  FC Utrecht           1      0      6'0"   12st 1lb   £5.25M 
23     Sam Lammers               AM (C), ST (C)        30/04/1997 (21)  FC Groningen         1      1      6'2"   13st 0lbs  £3.8M  

 

 

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On 12/27/2017 at 10:07, mark wilson27 said:

Chris your level of details has to be one of the best in FMS. Good luck with the World Cup mate.

Thanks again. I'm feeling quite nervous about the coming weeks, to be honest. :D

There is one obvious absentee in the Argentina squad. I presume that Messi wasn't picked because of his three-match ban. He could have played in the knockout rounds if Argentina got that far, but the AI didn't seem to recognise this when selecting the squad. I'd like to think SI have picked up on that.

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***

 

The first ever FIFA World Cup to be played on eastern European soil got underway with a spectacular opening ceremony at Moscow's Luzhniki stadium on 15 June 2018. The respective Presidents of FIFA and the Russian Federation - Gianni Infantino and Vladimir Putin - then settled down with around 81,000 other souls to watch the first ball be kicked in anger.

 

As the home team, there was an enormous weight of expectation on Russia's shoulders. No host nation had ever lost their opening match at a World Cup, but Putin and his compatriots were pleased and somewhat relieved to see Russia get off to a flying start and breeze past Jamaica 3-0.

 

The first goal of this World Cup was an own goal, as Hull City defender Michael Hector unfortunately deflected an Alexey Miranchuk strike into the Jamaican net after just five minutes. Further goals in the second half from Oleg Shatov and Denis Cheryshev saw the Russian bear roar into life.

 

Roughly 24 hours later, it was England's turn to join the biggest party in team sport. Mark Catterall's Three Lions opened Group C with a titanic battle in Volgograd against five-time champions Brazil - the only country to have competed at every single World Cup since its inception in 1930.

 

Brazil were ranked 4th in the world and desperate to make up for the shock of four years earlier, when Germany dismantled them 7-1 in the Semi Finals of their home World Cup. The thrashing in Belo Horizonte was dubbed by the local press as 'Mineiraço', and it ruined the reputation of head coach Luiz Felipe 'Felipão' Scolari, who'd been the mastermind behind the Seleção's most recent global triumph in 2002.

 

The likes of Barcelona superstar Neymar and Real Madrid wing-back Marcelo were now back for another tilt at global glory. This time, they had a new coach in Tite, and yet another fresh-faced wonder boy in 21-year-old Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus.

 

Tite typically lined his team up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, but after a crushing 4-0 loss to Belgium and a narrow 1-0 win over Croatia in warm-up friendlies, the 57-year-old suddenly switched to a more ambitious 4-3-3. Neymar and Jesus led the Seleção frontline either side of Liverpool centre-forward Roberto Firmino, who had finished as top scorer in the Premier League in the season before last.

 

In the England camp, Catterall kept faith in his own 4-2-3-1 and fielded what he saw as his strongest starting XI. Michael Keane and Nathan Redmond both made their major tournament debuts, while Harry Kane was chosen to lead the English attack over the in-form Daniel Sturridge.

 

Brazil - with their vast pedigree - were amongst the bookmakers' favourites to lift the trophy at the Luzhniki on 15 July. England - with their propensity to crash and burn at major tournaments - were not. However, the first half of their respective World Cup campaigns suggested that those roles had reversed.

 

England wasted little time in testing Alisson, who was keeping goal for Brazil, despite merely being the second-choice shotstopper at Roma. The 25-year-old acrobatically tipped over a cross from left-back Luke Shaw in the fifth minute, and not long after that, he produced another reflex save to keep out a shot from Adam Lallana.

 

A couple of Brazilian defenders also faced early tests of their resolve in the sixth minute. Paris Saint-Germain right-back Marquinhos intercepted a cross from his English counterpart Nathaniel Clyne, but he could only nod it as far as Redmond, who flicked it back towards goal. Centre-back Jemerson then came to Marquinhos' aid, hacking the ball away to give the Seleção time to breathe.

 

Brazil's attackers were finding it rather more difficult to get into the time. England were defending a little deeper than usual, and thus Neymar and company were not allowed much space to exploit. A chance did arise in the 15th minute, when midfielder Fabinho nicked the ball off Dele Alli and lobbed it ahead of Neymar on the edge of the penalty area. However, Neymar had moved forward too soon and was caught offside.

 

On 24 minutes, Shaw sent another promising England cross into Brazil's penalty area. Marquinhos headed the ball back to the Manchester United full-back, whose follow-up delivery dipped dangerously towards Alli. The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder rose above Seleção centre-half Thiago Silva and appeared to be on target, but his header bounced off the post and went clear.

 

Another Tottenham man would go one better in the 31st minute, with Kane getting past Silva to tap in a deep cross from the impressive Shaw. He'd already been flagged offside, mind, and so the Brazilian supporters could breathe another collective sigh of relief.

 

England were noticeably on top in the first half, certainly when it came to possession and chance creation. They just lacked a killer instinct, and so they went into the interval scratching their heads as to why they weren't leading the Brazilians.

 

Tite's Samba stars upped the tempo in the second half and started to show a bit more of the Latin flair they were renowned for. A great take by Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro from Eric Dier allowed Brazil to launch a promising counter-attack in the 50th minute.

 

As the ball was quickly moved forward, Rafina exchanged passes with Firmino, who was later played in by Neymar. Casemiro then completed the move by collecting a first-time pass from Firmino and hitting a low drive from just inside the penalty area. Unfortunately for him, England goalkeeper Joe Hart was wide awake and tipped the strike behind.

 

In the 59th minute, Neymar chested a long goal kick from Alisson and glided past an unsteady Clyne before making a run for the area. He also managed to pass Keane as he bore down on goal and pulled the trigger. Hart awkwardly parried the ball against his left-hand post, but Shaw saved his bacon by volleying the rebound off the line just before Jesus could prod it home.

 

Brazil really were taking the game to England now, and they were showing much greater urgency. By the hour mark, Tite had used up all his substitutions. Catterall hadn't used any of his.

 

One of those who came on for the Seleção was the Chelsea winger Willian, who chanced his arm in the 62nd minute and forced Hart into another quick reaction save. Two minutes later, another of Tite's subs - Manchester United midfielder Fred - played a pinpoint pass between England's centre-halves and ahead of Firmino. It seemed that Firmino was finally going to break the deadlock until John Stones intervened with a perfectly-timed tackle in the box.

 

Firmino was despairing again just moments later, when Stones - still on a high after his vital saving challenge - momentarily lost his concentration. Fred intercepted a rushed clearance from Shaw and nodded it back towards the England goal. The ball bounced past Stones and found Firmino, who miscued an audacious volley and missed the target by miles.

 

Concerned that the match was slipping away from the Three Lions, Catterall soon made his first changes in personnel. Dier and Alli were both tiring significantly, so Danny Drinkwater and Jack Wilshere both made appearances for the last 20 minutes or so.

 

Despite those changes, the momentum remained with Brazil, who had another great scoring opportunity in the 72nd minute. Firmino cushioned a pass from substitute midfielder Lucas Silva on to Jesus, whose tame shot safely found the hands of his City team-mate Hart. This was Jesus' first World Cup finals match, and the young man did not appear to be handling the occasion particularly well.

 

Another player who was feeling the heat was Lallana, who wasted England's best opening two minutes later. An incisive breakaway saw Kane feed the ball to Lallana via Wilshere, but the Liverpool forward screwed his shot into the stands when left with just Alisson to beat.

 

Lallana's match ended almost immediately, as he was subbed off for Rolando Aarons - the wildcard pick in Catterall's World Cup squad. The young Newcastle United winger could not make his mark, though Thiago Silva did make a significant impact on his foot with a strong tackle in stoppage time. Aarons had stubbed his toe, but he carried on for what little time remained.

 

In the end, this was a match that had promised much from both teams yet delivered nothing. A 0-0 draw left Brazil's fans largely frustrated, though England's supporters - usually so unforgiving whenever their team failed to win - were rather more delighted.

 

16 June 2018: FIFA World Cup Group C - at Volgograd Arena, Volgograd

Brazil - 0

England - 0

ENGLAND LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Joe Hart; Nathaniel Clyne, Michael Keane, John Stones, Luke Shaw; Eric Dier (Danny Drinkwater), Jordan Henderson; Adam Lallana (Rolando Aarons), Dele Alli (Jack Wilshere), Nathan Redmond; Harry Kane.

 

In the BBC studio (located at that famous St Petersburg landmark known as Salford Quays), there was a somewhat mixed reaction from their chief pundits to that goalless draw.

 

Alan Shearer grumbled, "We were hopeless going forward. We offered up nothing in terms of an attacking threat to Brazil. I think Dele Alli hit the woodwork once with a header midway through the first half, and that was our lot.

 

"Okay, Brazil have some world-class attackers, and we did well to shut them out at our end, but the defence was there for the taking. Their backline was no stronger than when they conceded seven to Germany four years ago. We should've at least given them problems, but we didn't."

 

Shearer's fellow ex-England star Phil Neville replied, "Alan's a striker; of course he's gonna complain about a 0-0! As a former right-back, I quite enjoyed that England performance from a defensive point of view. Brazil threw everything at us bar the kitchen sink, but we stayed strong and threw everything back at them.

 

"For me, John Stones and Michael Keane are turning into a dream defensive partnership. They're both strong in the air, comfortable in the ball, and they position themselves so, so well. For me, they're a bit like Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic were at Manchester United. Who knows, maybe one day, we'll be talking about them in the same terms as [Paolo] Maldini and [Alessandro] Nesta from AC Milan."

 

"That would be quite something if Stones and Keane could reach those heights," presenter Gary Lineker noted. He then turned to the third panellist and said, "I'd be interested to hear from our special guest now, about Brazil's chances. As someone of Brazilian heritage, did you see anything that gives you optimism about Neymar and co?"

 

Soul singer Seal - who was born in London to a Brazilian father and a Nigerian mother - sang, "We're never gonna survive, unless we get a little crazy. No, we're never gonna survive, unless we are a little... cray, cray, crazy!"

 

Lineker replied, "Well, er, Brazilians do have a reputation for being a bit loco at times, so you should be fine. And you've surely got to fancy your chances of sweeping past Georgia next week, right?"

 

Seal clasped Lineker's hand and burst into song again, "Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey! Ooh, the more I get of you, the stranger it feels, yeah! Now that your rose is in bloom, a light hits the gloom on the grey."

 

Neville quipped, "I guess it's not just the ladies who can't get enough of your hair, Gary!"

 

Lineker smiled awkwardly, "Okay, Seal, now you're starting to, er... creep me out a little!"

 

"I guess that's the effect of being dumped by Heidi Klum," Neville said.

 

The other opening-round fixture in Group C was significantly more gripping, if not of a particularly high quality. Costa Rica and Georgia each had several shots at goal, almost exclusively from distance, throughout their first 90 minutes. None of them found the net.

 

The four teams in Group C remained deadlocked, with one point and no goals apiece. Brazil and England still held the slightly stronger hands, as they had yet to play Georgia - seemingly the weakest team in the group. That said, the Three Lions' next match - against Costa Rica in Moscow - would now be of even greater significance in terms of qualification for the Last 16.

 

2018 FIFA World Cup Group Stage Results

GROUP A: Russia 3-0 Jamaica, Ghana 0-1 Croatia

GROUP B: Mexico 0-0 Switzerland, France 2-1 Tunisia

GROUP C: Brazil 0-0 England, Costa Rica 0-0 Georgia

GROUP D: Italy 2-2 Ivory Coast, Iran 1-5 Uruguay

GROUP E: Senegal 1-2 Portugal, Spain 2-2 Japan

GROUP F: Romania 0-2 Cameroon, Saudi Arabia 1-0 Argentina

GROUP G: United States 2-2 Slovenia, Chile 0-1 Belgium

GROUP H: Germany 1-1 Colombia, Netherlands 2-0 China

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***

 

England's goalless draw with Brazil in their opening match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup was met by a somewhat mixed reaction from the media back home.

 

As per usual, The Sun were somewhat critical, branding the team "BRAZIL NUTS" on a front page that also featured erstwhile star winger Raheem Sterling. The 23-year-old from Manchester City had not been in favour with manager Mark Catterall, and he was unlikely to have impressed him with his antics on a hit reality show aired on ITV2 during the summer.

 

Sterling had cast aside his anger at being left out of the World Cup squad by appearing on a celebrity version of "Love Island". He duly became the first man in the show's history to have 'sexual relations' with every single female contestant, only three of whom had been former girlfriends of his before the show began.

 

Going back on topic, The Daily Mirror branded England as "typically boring and one-dimensional", while The Daily Telegraph argued that it would be "a travesty for football if a team as uninspiring as this sleepwalked into the World Cup Final".

 

Other publications praised the Three Lions' dogged defending, especially from centre-backs Michael Keane and John Stones, who - in the words of The Guardian's Adrian Pike - "exemplified the northern grit that Catterall has instilled into this England team". They weren't the only England defenders attracting admiring glances in Russia.

 

After a few more days at their base camp in Volgograd, Catterall and the England team flew out to Moscow, where they would face Costa Rica in their next Group C match. They would prepare for that game on the training ground used by CSKA Moscow.

 

England's first training session at their Moscow base - two days before kick-off at the Luzhniki - went without a hitch. Then assistant manager Michael Burke spotted a mysterious blondish, middle-aged man peering through the gap in a nearby fence.

 

"Hold up, lads," Burke said ominously. "Looks like we've got company."

 

"Oh, for f***'s sake," Catterall groaned. "Couldn't we be allowed to train in private?"

 

"You want security to handle him?"

 

Catterall nodded, and then turned to defensive coach Ray Wilkins, telling him, "Butch, you're up."

 

Wilkins and Burke headed towards the fence to confront the mystery man.

 

"Young man, what right do you have to be here?" Wilkins questioned the man, who replied in a strong Eastern European accent, "My name Vladimir. I come to watch England player."

 

Wilkins growled, "Are you scouting for Costa Rica, then? Is that it?"

 

"Doubt it, Butch," Burke said. "How many Costa Ricans do you know that are called Vladimir and look like Ivan Drago?"

 

"You never know. There are a lot of Latin Americans with Russian-sounding names, aren't there?"

 

Vladimir laughed, "Of course I am not from Costa Rica, you silly English dogs! I am a scout, but I am from Moscow. CSKA."

 

Wilkins was now confused as well as furious. "Why the hell would CSKA Moscow want to look at any of our players?"

 

"The team wants a... a new defender."

 

Burke looked over towards the players and told Vladimir, "Well, mate... as a City fan, I can tell you that you'll have no chance of getting Stones or Keane, that's for sure."

 

"No, no... it is number 5 we want," Vladimir said, pointing directly at Gary Cahill.

 

Wilkins was surprised. "He's a great defender an' all, I get that... but young Gary's not young anymore. He's 32. You really sure you want him - at that age?"

 

Burke hissed, "Butch, who do you think you are? Kim f***ing Philby? You're working for the England team, not for bloody CSKA Moscow!"

 

Vladimir then confirmed, "Yes, we do want Cahill. We already agree fee with Chelsea. I just come here to take closer look and then tell manager if it is good idea."

 

"Okay, that sounds fine," Wilkins nodded. "But we don't want you lurking around our ground again, d'you hear... or we'll throw the book at ya."

 

"Or maybe Butch here will throw a ball at you, eh?" Burke laughed. Wilkins had infamously thrown the ball in the referee's direction during England's group game with Morocco at the 1986 World Cup, for which he received the only red card of an otherwise unblemished career.

 

Wilkins and Burke then left Vladimir to his devices before informing Catterall, who responded, "Ah, I guess that explains why Gary's photo was on Russian TV this morning."

 

Once training was over, Catterall told Cahill about CSKA's interest in signing him. The veteran centre-half replied, "Yeah, that sounds like it could be a good challenge. Chelsea don't want me anymore, so I guess it's time to move on and try something new."

 

Catterall said, "I wouldn't have any problem with you discussing terms with CSKA, so long as it doesn't interfere with your commitment to the England team. One way or the other, I'd like this to be sorted quickly."

 

"Sure, I'll have a word with them, and see what they're offering. I might need some time to think it over. My family's happy in London, and it'd be a big commitment to move all the way out here... but if it's the best choice for all of us, then I'd do it."

 

"Yeah, of course, family comes first. Like I say, think it over, but also keep focussed on this. If you look in any way distracted by the time we face Costa Rica, you won't be playing. It's as simple as that."

 

Cahill reassured Catterall, "Don't worry. I'll stay focused."

 

"Good man."

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***

 

The second round of group fixtures at the 2018 FIFA World Cup were likely to be the most crucial as far as England were concerned. A creditable goalless draw against Brazil in Volgograd meant that there would be all to play for when they faced Costa Rica in Moscow.

 

Hours before his team kicked off against Group C's potential dark horses, Mark Catterall watched Georgia take on Brazil in Adler - a district of the Black Sea coastal resort of Sochi. Rather unsurprisingly, the Brazilians ran out dominant 5-0 winners, with Thiago Silva and Willian helping themselves to a brace apiece, and Roberto Firmino also getting on the scoresheet.

 

The Seleção were now top of Group C with four points from two games and were almost certain to qualify for the knockout stages. England would join them on the same total, and effectively secure their own place in the Last 16, if they could best Costa Rica.

 

Catterall made several chances to his line-up from the opening group fixture. Expecting Costa Rica to play more cautiously than Brazil, he switched to a narrow 4-3-1-2 formation designed to break stubborn teams down.

 

Michael Keane, Adam Lallana and Nathan Redmond were dropped to the bench, with Manchester United defender Phil Jones, Arsenal playmaker Jack Wilshere and Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge taking their places in the starting line-up. However, there was again no place in the XI for veteran defender Gary Cahill.

 

Rolando Aarons had recovered quickly from the toe injury that he'd sustained late on against Brazil and was named amongst the potential substitutes. However, it was very unlikely that Catterall would call on the young Newcastle United forward.

 

The manager's suspicions about Costa Rica proved to be right. Oscar Ramirez was a coach who liked to play direct football in a very defensive-minded 5-4-1 formation, and he didn't stray from his tactical beliefs here. Ramirez's style of football wasn't the prettiest, but it got results; Los Ticos had won their first CONCACAF Gold Cup title in 2017, beating Panama in the Final.

 

Unsurprisingly, most of Costa Rica's key men could be found in the defensive areas. Keylor Navas' goalkeeping heroics during his country's run to the 2014 World Cup Quarter Finals had earned him a lucrative transfer to Real Madrid, where he'd been the first-choice shotstopper for the past three seasons. Centre-half Oscar Duarte was also a regular in La Liga with Espanyol.

 

Further upfield, Los Ticos had the enigmatic Southampton forward Joel Campbell on the right wing, and the flamboyant Sporting CP playmaker Bryan Ruiz in the heart of their midfield. They lacked a centre-forward of real quality, though David Ramírez was a prolific scorer for Saprissa in the Costa Rican top flight and was hoping to play well enough to earn a big move abroad.

 

The Costa Rican defence would face its first test after just five minutes. England right-back Nathaniel Clyne played an excellent cross through the penalty area to his Liverpool team-mate Sturridge, whose half-volley was powered into the hands of a relieved Navas.

 

The Central Americans would need Navas to be at his very best if they were to take anything for this match. Their fans were clearly concerned, then, when the 31-year-old appeared to hurt his hand in catching another Clyne cross after 12 minutes. Navas was assessed by the Costa Rica physio and was found to have broken a finger, but he took a huge risk in carrying on.

 

The stricken goalkeeper would not have to do much work when England had their next pop at goal in the 15th minute. Wilshere flighted a free-kick harmlessly over the bar after striker Harry Kane had been brought down by Costa Rica left-back Bryan Oviedo.

 

Los Ticos launched their first counter-attack moments later. The vastly-experienced Saint-Étienne midfielder Celso Borges looked for Campbell on the right and then saw his team-mate cut inside before curling a shot goalwards. Joe Hart needed to react very quickly to palm Campbell's attempt behind.

 

England looked the better side in the closing stages of the first half, but the difficulty they had in converting chances against Brazil had returned. Kane's tournament had not yet ignited into life, and a 35th-minute header from Clyne's cross didn't change that. The Tottenham Hotspur striker only flicked it into the hands of Navas, who was showing no ill effects of his earlier injury.

 

Three minutes before half-time, Eric Dier tried to thread a pass to Wilshere just inside the Costa Rica area. Defender Giancarlo González intercepted the pass, only to knock it back towards Dier, whose first-time strike from the rebound also failed to get past Navas.

 

The first 135 minutes of this group phase passed without a goal scored or conceded by England - or indeed by Costa Rica. It perhaps didn't come as a surprise that some of those who'd travelled over to Russia from the United Kingdom were chanting, "Boring, boring England," at the half-time whistle.

 

Catterall needed to act if the Three Lions weren't to sleepwalk into another dour nil-all draw. His plan now was to switch to a more attacking 4-2-3-1 formation. Dier and Kane made way for widemen Demarai Gray and Adam Lallana, each of whom would have chances to break the deadlock early in the second period.

 

Lallana's opening effort came from a well-crafted England move in the 47th minute. Sturridge nodded a direct ball from Dele Alli on to Wilshere, who then picked out the Liverpool forward just outside the penalty box. Lallana turned past Oviedo and curled a promising shot towards the far corner, but Navas stretched out wide to divert it behind.

 

Gray was arguably even unluckier not to open the scoring after 54 minutes. The young Leicester City winger smashed the ball against Navas' crossbar, and Oviedo then headed away the danger, much to the relief of the Costa Rican fans.

 

Six minutes later, a foul from Alli on Campbell resulted in Costa Rica's best opportunity yet. Captain Ruiz - formerly of Fulham - unleashed a stunning free-kick that beat Hart, but also beat the goalkeeper's crossbar. Ramírez looked set to run onto the rebound when Jones heroically hacked it into touch, thus leaving England to count their lucky stars.

 

As Costa Rica freshened up their frontline by bringing on Marcos Ureña for the disappointing Ramírez, Navas continued to defy the pain barrier and keep England's attackers quiet. Los Ticos' goalie made a couple more saves from Gray and Lallana midway through the second half, and he thwarted the latter once again after 75 minutes.

 

With a quarter of an hour to play, Catterall went for broke, and threw Chelsea's Callum Wilson on to partner Sturridge up front. Wilson could not get England their much-needed goal, and neither could Sturridge, whose last scoring opportunity drifted off target in the 81st minute.

 

Seven minutes before full-time, a sloppy clearance from Costa Rican regista Yeltsin Tejeda - named after the former Russian President Boris Yeltsin - gave England time to recompose and build up another attack. Luke Shaw intercepted the clearance just short of the halfway line and quickly moved it forward to Alli, who then found Jordan Henderson.

 

Prior to the World Cup, Catterall had said of his captain, "Henderson could be my Steven Gerrard." The erstwhile Liverpool and England skipper was notorious for producing magical game-changing strikes in the closing minutes. What Henderson produced here was typically Gerrard-esque.

 

Henderson deftly controlled a short pass from Alli, and then shook off his marker Borges before eyeing up the target - from 30 yards out. The 27-year-old Wearsider had not scored in any of his previous 46 caps for England, but that wasn't in his mind when he confidently powered the ball towards the top-right corner.

 

Navas could not do a thing about the strike. Captain Henderson had come big for England, who were now 1-0 up and on the verge of a tremendous, hard-earned victory.

 

Henderson attempted to score again in the 85th and 86th minutes, only to be denied by a seething Navas on each occasion. Navas also pushed behind a volley from Alli in the 87th minute, but in doing so, he conceded the corner that would led to Costa Rica conceding a second goal.

 

Lallana lifted the corner into the area and found John Stones. The big Yorkshireman climbed over his Costa Rican counterpart Kendall Waston to flick forward a header that deflected into the net off the unfortunate Ureña's back.

 

Though they had left it late, the fact of the matter was that England had prevailed over Costa Rica - by two goals to nil. Their unbeaten start, both in terms of matches and goals conceded, was still ongoing.

 

22 June 2018: FIFA World Cup Group C - at Luzhniki, Moscow

England - 2 (Jordan Henderson 83, Marcos Ureña og87)

Costa Rica - 0

ENGLAND LINE-UP (4-3-1-2): Joe Hart; Nathaniel Clyne, John Stones, Phil Jones, Luke Shaw; Eric Dier (Adam Lallana), Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli; Jack Wilshere (Callum Wilson); Harry Kane (Demarai Gray), Daniel Sturridge.

 

"England showed an awful lot of character tonight," Lee Dixon said in ITV's Moscow studio during the post-match summary. "On another night, with another manager, that would have been another 0-0.

 

"Costa Rica deserve credit for holding out as long as they did, but England showed a little bit more class in the end. They managed to grind them down and take the points. They didn't buckle, like England teams before them have."

 

Ian Wright said, "That Henderson goal, man - that was a worldie every day of the week! He just struck it sweet as a nut from 30 yards! We used to see Stevie Gerrard hammer those in when it really mattered! I think Jordan killed Costa Rica's spirit there, and that's what won us the game."

 

Presenter Mark Pougatch reminded Wright and Dixon, "That was Jordan Henderson's first goal for England in 47 appearances. What a way to break your duck!"

 

Dixon nodded, "Indeed. Henderson is not generally renowned for being flashy or for scoring goals. He's such a hard worker who gives England and Liverpool so much energy in midfield; he's a great link between the defence and the attack. I don't think a lot of England fans really appreciate what Henderson brings to the table."

 

Wright stated, "It's just as well Hendo turned up tonight, because our strikers didn't. Harry Kane looked lost out there; he was nothing like the beast we've seen at Spurs these last few years. And Studge... he had a great scoring record for England in the qualifiers, but he just don't do it enough against the big teams for me. I hate myself for saying that, 'cos I love him to bits, but it is how it is.

 

"I think maybe Callum Wilson could be the answer for us. He's big, strong, quick, and he likes to help his team-mates out as well. If I was Catts, I'd give Callum 90 minutes against Georgia. Give him a chance to fill his boots, and who knows? Maybe we'll have another Gary Lineker on our hands!"

 

Pougatch chuckled, "We don't mention his name round these parts, Wrighty!"

 

England could now almost taste the Last 16. A point against Georgia in their final group match in Nizhniy Novgorod would be enough to secure qualification, though they would also go through if Costa Rica failed to beat Brazil in Kazan. Considering that Navas would be out of that match with a broken finger, a victory for Los Ticos was not looking particularly likely there.

 

Were England to indeed book their place in the Last 16, their next opponents would almost certainly be either Uruguay or the Ivory Coast.

 

Uruguay were guaranteed progression from Group D after back-to-back wins, and the Ivorians - who'd already held Italy to a draw before thrashing Iran - would join them by taking at least a point off La Celeste in their final group game. If not, then the Azzurri would still have a chance of progressing, provided they did a job on table-propping Iran.

 

2018 FIFA World Cup Group Stage Results

GROUP A: Croatia 4-2 Russia, Jamaica 1-1 Ghana

GROUP B: Tunisia 4-2 Mexico, Switzerland 0-2 France

GROUP C: Georgia 0-5 Brazil, England 2-0 Costa Rica

GROUP D: Ivory Coast 4-0 Iran, Uruguay 4-2 Italy

GROUP E: Japan 2-2 Senegal, Portugal 0-0 Spain

GROUP F: Cameroon 1-1 Saudi Arabia, Argentina 2-0 Romania

GROUP G: Belgium 0-0 United States, Slovenia 0-1 Chile

GROUP H: China 1-4 Germany, Colombia 1-2 Netherlands

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Following their 2-0 win over Costa Rica in Moscow, the England team were flown back to their training base in Volgograd. However, veteran Chelsea defender Gary Cahill stayed in the capital for the time being, so that he could enter into contract discussions with local giants CSKA Moscow.

 

Negotiations lasted for a couple of days before Cahill signed a £60,000-per-week contract that would initially run until the end of the 2020/2021 season. After successfully passing a medical, his £750,000 transfer from Chelsea to CSKA was formally announced on 25 June, ending six-and-a-half years of service to the Blues.

 

Cahill would become just the second Englishman to participate in the Russian Premier League. He was following in the footsteps of a certain David Bentley, who made seven league appearances for FC Rostov in 2012. Only two other Britons - namely the Scottish-born duo of Aiden McGeady and Garry O'Connor - had plied their trade in the Russian top flight since the league's current format was established in 2001.

 

Cahill returned to Volgograd the next day. Upon his arrival at the England training camp, manager Mark Catterall greeted him, "It's great to have you back with us, Gary. I suppose you'll be able to concentrate fully on this again now, won't you?"

 

Cahill replied, monotonously, "Enemies of the motherland will be liquidated."

 

A bemused Catterall turned to his assistant Michael Burke, who said, "Looks like he's got his game face on already!"

 

Catterall responded, "Let's hope he's still got it on come Wednesday."

 

That morning, Cahill greatly impressed the England coaching staff with his renewed commitment and determination. Having sat out the first two group games in favour of younger central defenders, the 32-year-old looked especially keen to earn his place in the side that would take on Georgia.

 

"He looked unbeatable!" defensive coach Ray Wilkins enthused during a coaches' meeting later in the afternoon. "Just ask young Callum, young Daniel, young Kane even! None of them were able to get past him! It was like he was a man possessed!"

 

Burke quipped, "I guess he thought he already was playing Georgia!"

 

Technical coach David Platt was rather more concerned. "I don't know, lads. He didn't seem like the Gary Cahill we know and admire. At least five players have told me that he was saying... things."

 

"What things?" Catterall asked.

 

"You know... political statements."

 

"Political statements?! What the hell do you mean by that?"

 

"It seemed that he spent a lot of time quoting Karl Marx. He's one of the blokes who wrote 'The Communist Manifesto', in case you didn't know."

 

Catterall dismissed Platt's comments, "Come off it, David! Footballers generally have as much interest in politics as Theresa May has in Maidenhead United!"

 

"There's not just that, Mark. Daniel Sturridge told me he was saying a lot of unsavoury things about Georgia. That's, er, Georgia the country, not Georgia the American state."

 

Catterall groaned, "We f***ing gathered that, David!"

 

"It seemed to me that Gary Cahill might have been brainwashed by the communist Russian government, with the sole purpose of eliminating Georgia from the World Cup. Don't forget - it has been nearly ten years since Russia and Georgia went to war over the territory of South Ossetia."

 

Glenn Hoddle interjected, "That doesn't seem very likely for me. I know we all have our crazy theories about why things are how they are, but what David Platt's saying sounds more like something we'd hear from David Icke."

 

Burke joked, "Before we know it, Platt will be shouting from the rooftops that the Royal Family are alien lizards from a cult called 'The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu'!"

 

Catterall was now unable to maintain his composure or his patience. He snapped, "Can we please stop talking about f***ing cults for one second?"

 

The coaches briefly fell silent before Burke realised, "Ah, right... your brother's in a cult, ain't he?"

 

Catterall replied, "Apparently, yes, but that's not the point! Wild speculation won't get us anywhere! We've got to think clearly about this, and NOT jump to conclusions!"

 

He then took a deep breath and told Platt, "David, I'm certain that Gary's... situation has got NOTHING to do with Russia. For one thing, the communist Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. In fact, Vladimir Putin's government are right-wing, if anything."

 

Burke came in with a typically tongue-in-cheek reply, "Yeah, that probably explains why he put Donald Trump in the White House and made most of us vote for Brexit."

 

"Point taken, Mark," Platt conceded.

 

Catterall continued, "For another thing, maybe it's plausible that Gary has just taken getting 'in the zone' to a ridiculously extreme level."

 

Hoddle then said, "Whatever is wrong with him, though, I really don't think we should be playing him against Georgia. He just ain't himself. He could be a loose cannon."

 

Wilkins nodded, "Glenn's spot-on, like he always is."

 

Catterall pointed out, "Actually, I think we could use this to our advantage. Cahill's fixated on beating Georgia, right? So let's play him; in fact, let's make him captain! He'll scare the living daylights out of Georgia, and then we've near enough won the mental battles already!"

 

"And come the knockout rounds, Gary should be back to his normal self," Burke smiled.

 

Catterall wasn't thinking that far ahead. "One game at a time, Mick. One game at a time."

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48 hours before their final FIFA World Cup group game against Georgia, the England team flew out from their base in Volgograd to Nizhniy Novgorod, located approximately 1,000 kilometres north. This was not a place that Mark Catterall's players were overly familiar with. Few of them could have confidently pointed to the city on a map of the Nizhniy Novgorod Oblast, let alone a map of Russia.

 

Nizhniy Novgorod was situated pretty much in the middle of the European portion of the country. Russia's fifth-most populous city was a bustling industrial centre during the Soviet era, when it was named 'Gorky' after the writer Maxim Gorky. It was also the home of the GAZ automotive plant, thus earning it the nickname of the 'Russian Detroit'. Back then, being compared to Detroit was considered a compliment.

 

England had two training sessions in the city on the day before the match. They would train at the local team's training complex in the morning, and then at the stadium itself in the evening.

 

Meanwhile, in the afternoon, Catterall conducted his pre-match press conference in front of the world's media. Gary Cahill was expected to answer questions as well, as he would be captaining England in this match instead of the rested Jordan Henderson. However, there was a problem.

 

Cahill's behaviour since signing for CSKA Moscow a few days earlier had concerned the England staff. The erstwhile Chelsea defender was never the most charismatic of footballers, yet Catterall and his coaches were surprised to see him seemingly transform into a monotone communist overnight. Some coaches had hoped Cahill would have snapped out of his socialist 'phase' quickly, but on the eve of the Georgia game, nothing seemed to have changed.

 

"Right, Gary," Ava Leggett - the FA's Director of Communications - asked Cahill outside the press room. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

 

Cahill replied affirmatively, "I shall comply, for the motherland."

 

Leggett bemusedly turned to Catterall, who was standing beside Cahill, and asked him, "He sounds a bit... robotic, doesn't he?"

 

"Think more Bolshevik than robotic," Catterall shrugged.

 

"Erm... okay. Gary, I'm gonna ask you a warm-up question, just to test the water. What do you think of the Georgian team, and where do you think their greatest threat will be?"

 

Cahill brazenly grabbed the right hand of Leggett, who winced as he growled, "I am not concerned with Georgian infidels. We will crush the capitalist defectors... into dust."

 

Cahill squeezed Leggett's hand firmly, causing her to retract sharply and squeal, "Ow! That really hurt!"

 

Catterall barked at Cahill, "What do you think you're doing? You of all people should know that's not how you treat a woman! You know what, I don't think you're in the right frame of mind for this press conference! Get out!"

 

"Very well, comrade," Cahill nodded. The defender then saluted Catterall and Leggett before marching away.

 

Still nursing her right hand, Leggett barked at Catterall, "What's got into him?"

 

"We've got a few theories," Catterall said. "Platt reckons he's been brainwashed by Putin, Butch thinks he's become obsessed with Lenin... and Hoddle probably thinks he was abducted by wheelchair-bound aliens."

 

"What about you and Michael Burke?"

 

"Mick ain't too sure. Neither am I, in truth. It might have something to do with his transfer to CSKA, but then again, this could just be a practical joke that's gone too far."

 

"Like Rio Ferdinand's 'World Cup Wind-Ups', then?"

 

"If it is anything like that, then you could say we've all been merked."

 

Leggett laughed quietly at that last comment, but then returned to the issue of who would replace Cahill at the press conference. "Well, we need someone to fill in for Gary, otherwise it's just gonna be you and me, isn't it?"

 

Harry Kane was walking down the corridor when he heard Leggett's comment. He replied, "I'll do it, Ava."

 

"Harry?" Leggett asked bewilderingly.

 

"But you won't be starting tomorrow's game," Mark pointed out. "How about you ask Callum [Wilson] to come here instead?"

 

"No, I'll do it," Kane insisted. "Y'know, it's time for me to, y'know, stand up to be counted, and step up to the plate, because, y'know... I've gotta stand up to be counted, mate!"

 

Leggett looked perplexingly at Catterall, who sighed, "Well... better him than a passive-aggressive communist."

 

The pre-match press conference began a few minutes later, with Catterall and Kane sitting either side of Leggett and answering questions from the sporting media's great and the good... and the BBC.

 

Catterall swiftly batted away the Beeb's first question, which was about which team he reckoned the Georgian-born British singer Katie Melua would support the following evening.

 

Kane's first question was about his aims for the upcoming match. The Tottenham Hotspur striker replied, "Y'know, that's a good question. I've not had the best of starts to the World Cup, y'know... but I'm gonna give 110%, leave nothing in the dressing room, and hopefully get some goals."

 

Leggett quickly whispered in Kane's ear, "Mark said you aren't playing tomorrow. Remember?"

 

Kane cleared his throat, and then corrected himself, "Yeah, actually, I ain't playing tomorrow, actually. Like I said, though, we've not had the best of starts to the World Cup, y'know... but we're gonna give 110%, leave nothing in the dressing room, and hopefully get some goals."

 

While Kane was answering that question, Catterall was seen covering his face with his right hand. It appeared that he was simply wiping some perspiration away from his forehead, but some newspapers opted to label the manager's expression as one of embarrassment or even despair.

 

"CATTASTROPHE?" was the back-page headline of The Sun, whose reporter Russell Whiteman asked, "Could England REALLY blow it?" Meanwhile, The Daily Mirror went with the headline, "CATTERALL CRACKS: England boss feels strain ahead of Georgia game".

 

The Daily Mail were perhaps even harsher, saying of the man whose first two World Cup games had produced only two goals, "Now Mark's boring HIMSELF to sleep..."

 

Some fans and journalists back home were fearing, perhaps needlessly, that disaster was imminent. The Three Lions had to try and get them believing again.

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***

 

Nizhniy Novgorod was not a city renowned for its football, but it was the site of one of five brand-new stadiums that had been built specifically for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It was at the imaginatively-named Nizhniy Novgorod Stadium where England faced Georgia in their last Group C fixture.

 

England knew that they only needed one more point to better their performance at the 2014 tournament, and progress to the Last 16. Even if something did inexplicably go wrong, Costa Rica would need to defeat Brazil quite handsomely in Adler to send the Three Lions home.

 

Manager Mark Catterall decided to rest his best players ahead of England's anticipated first knockout match, which would take place four days later. He changed nine of his starting XI from the win over Costa Rica, with only Eric Dier and Jack Wilshere retaining their places. First-choice goalkeeper Joe Hart gave way to Stoke City's Jack Butland, who made his long-awaited tournament debut.

 

Meanwhile, Georgia needed a miracle if they were to extend their debut World Cup campaign to a fourth match. A hard-fought goalless draw against Costa Rica had been followed by a harsh footballing lesson from Brazil, who put five goals past them without reply.

 

The most familiar face in this Georgian team to most English fans was Akaki Gogia - a 26-year-old West Bromwich Albion midfielder who'd previously plied his trade at Brentford. Playmaker Valeri Qazaishvili had spent a number of seasons playing for Vitesse in the Eredivisie and would be transferring to Feyenoord once the tournament was over.

 

There was one key player the 'Jvarosnebi' could not call upon - their captain. Stade Reims' tough-tackling midfielder Jaba Kankava had been booked in each of his country's first two group matches and would have to sit out this one through suspension.

 

Donning the Georgian captain's armband was centre-back Guram Kashia - a soon-to-be-erstwhile team-mate of Qazaishvili's at Vitesse. After the walk-out and the national anthems, he met his England counterpart Gary Cahill at the centre circle for the coin toss, overseen by Argentinean referee Walter Carrizo.

 

"I hope we have a good game, mate. I'm looking forward to it," Kashia said to Cahill, in impeccable English.

 

Cahill snarled in response, "Vy budete unichtozheny, Gruzinskiy nevernyy." Kashia - who understood Russian as well as he did Georgian and English - was noticeably aback by Cahill's comment.

 

Less than two minutes after play started, England striker Callum Wilson was tripped just outside the Georgia penalty area by Giorgi Aburjania. Kyle Walker took the free-kick, but a wayward delivery summed up why the Tottenham Hotspur right-back was rarely entrusted with the Three Lions' set-pieces.

 

Wilson would himself miss a scoring opportunity for England in the fifth minute. Two minutes later, fellow attacker Nathan Redmond felt that his team should've been awarded a penalty after Georgia right-back Nika Kvekveskiri outmuscled him to intercept a cross from Walker. Carrizo felt otherwise.

 

Georgia's first shot was powered well over Butland's crossbar by Gogia in the 11th minute. Three minutes later, Butland's counterpart Giorgi Loria caught a much more dangerous second free-kick from Walker. Curiously, an error at FIFA's designated shirt printer meant that the back of Loria's jersey was missing an 'A', and thus the Krylja Sovetov Samara keeper was branded simply as 'Lori'.

 

Poor old 'Lori' had already lost 20% of his surname, and he would soon lose his clean sheet. On 19 minutes, Redmond played a clever one-two with Wilson before knocking the ball through to Jack Wilshere in the penalty area. The Arsenal midfielder was in a difficult angle, but he still saw enough of the goal to beat the keeper at his near post.

 

England were now 1-0 up, and with Brazil still to score against Costa Rica, the Three Lions were heading to the top of Group C as things stood.

 

Two minutes after his side took the lead, England captain Cahill saw Georgia striker Levan Mchedlidze glide past him. Cahill retaliated by tripping Mchedlidze from behind and then whispering some words in his ear, although the tone and language of those words were not clear to even the best lip-readers on Twitter. Whatever Cahill did say obviously didn't impress Carrizo, who promptly issued the new CSKA Moscow defender with a yellow card.

 

After Loria saved a 24th-minute free-kick from Wilshere, his Georgian colleagues set about trying to score their country's first World Cup goal. Qazaishvili miscued a long-range effort from a tight angle shortly after that save, although Gogia did at least test Butland in the 30th minute. Gogia's free-kick deflected off Wilshere in the England wall and seemed to be heading out of play, though Butland still felt the need to pick up the shot.

 

England would later have a great opportunity to double their lead, though not before news of a goal in Adler filtered through. Rafinha had given Brazil the advantage against Costa Rica with a goal that saw the Seleção move back into 1st place on goal difference.

 

Five minutes later, a Tottenham player curled an England free-kick into the top-right corner of Loria's goal, thus reducing the deficit the Three Lions had on Brazil. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't Walker who took the set-piece but Eric Dier - a man who was not averse to scoring direct free-kicks in major tournaments, as the Russia team of 2016 would testify.

 

England were 2-0 up on Georgia at half-time, but Brazil's narrow lead over Costa Rica gave them the edge. Unless the Three Lions could score three more goals, or Costa Rica could fight back, the Group C bragging rights - and a potentially easier Last 16 draw - would belong to the South American giants.

 

Catterall's only personnel change before the second half was on the right wing. Rolando Aarons had not been in great form and was perhaps consumed by nerves, so another fresh-faced wideman took his place in the form of Demarai Gray.

 

Georgia manager Vladimir Weiss brought on two half-time substitutes, one of whom - FC Krasnodar winger Tornike Okriashvili - would set up a potential equalising opportunity in the 51st minute. Okriashvili whipped a cross beyond England left-back Danny Rose and to forward Giorgi Kvilitaia, who was kept off the scoresheet by a determined block from Butland.

 

England's hopes of winning Group C then suffered a major setback before the hour mark. A 50th-minute strike from Neymar and a 59th-minute penalty from Fabinho had seen Brazil take a seemingly unassailable 3-0 lead over Costa Rica. Barring a sudden England goal glut, or an even less plausible scoring spree from Georgia, Catterall's charges would have to settle for 2nd place.

 

England were now simply playing for goals, and some extra confidence ahead of the Last 16. Wilson seemed quite low on self-belief after pulling wide a shot in the 60th minute, so much so that Catterall immediately replaced him with Daniel Sturridge.

 

The Three Lions' best chances seemed to be from free-kicks, as Georgia were conceding an awful lot of them. The Jvarosnebi were feeling a sense of déjà vu when Dier curled another of them towards their goal in the 67th minute, but Loria/Lori was very relieved to see this particular set-piece clear his crossbar.

 

The Georgian goalkeeper also pushed away a 69th-minute shot from Wilshere, only for the Arsenal man to get the better of him again ten minutes later. After midfielder Danny Drinkwater's piledriver cannoned off the crossbar, Loria palmed the ball on to Walker, who floated it across the goalmouth before Wilshere's half-volley completed the move.

 

A third goal had sent England firmly on their way to the Last 16, but there was perhaps still time for them to improve their winning margin further. Drinkwater unluckily skimmed the crossbar in the 82nd minute, while Loria produced a spectacular reflex save from Redmond's swerving effort a minute later.

 

One disappointment from England's Group Stage was that none of their three recognised strikers - Sturridge, Wilson, or the rested Harry Kane - had scored thus far. Sturridge should have broken his duck in the 89th minute, but the usually clinical Liverpool forward clipped the woodwork from near the penalty spot.

 

By and large, though, it had been an uncharacteristically smooth progress to the World Cup knockout phase for England. The Three Lions racked up seven points, five goals, and three successive clean sheets. It was the first time they had negotiated a group phase at a major tournament without conceding a single goal since... 1966.

 

27 June 2018: FIFA World Cup Group C - at Nizhniy Novgorod Stadium, Nizhniy Novgorod

Georgia - 0

England - 3 (Jack Wilshere 19,79, Eric Dier 38)

ENGLAND LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Jack Butland; Kyle Walker, Gary Cahill, Michael Keane, Danny Rose; Danny Drinkwater, Eric Dier (Dele Alli); Rolando Aarons (Demarai Gray), Jack Wilshere, Nathan Redmond; Callum Wilson (Daniel Sturridge). BOOKED: Cahill 21.

 

There was to be no miracle comeback from Costa Rica in Adler. Los Ticos pitifully succumbed to a 3-0 defeat against Brazil, and so it was the Seleção who topped Group C ahead of England on goal difference.

 

2nd place meant that England would have to face the winners of Group D at Moscow's Luzhniki stadium on 1 July. Uruguay were the favourites to claim the spoils in that group, and they would do just that unless they lost their final round-robin match in Volgograd against the Ivory Coast - the only team who could overtake them.

 

Uruguay quickly dispelled any doubts about their resolve under pressure, taking a 2-0 lead thanks to goals in either half from Edinson Cavani and Luis Suárez. Although Seydou Doumbia did pull one goal back for the Ivorians, it wasn't enough to dislodge La Celeste.

 

The Last 16 would therefore force England to face up to their demons. It was Uruguay who had effectively eliminated the Three Lions from the 2014 World Cup, defeating them in their second group match with an 85th-minute winner from then-Liverpool striker Suárez.

 

That being said, the two former England stars in the BBC studio were optimistic about the Three Lions' chances. In the immediate aftermath of their latest win, ex-Liverpool and Fulham midfielder Danny Murphy waxed lyrical about Catterall's team.

 

"This England team is probably the strongest I've seen in many, many years," Murphy stated.

 

"It's not been the easiest of rides in this Group Stage, but England didn't crumble or succumb to nerves. They just knew what their job was, and they did it without any fuss. They held firm against Brazil, then they ground Costa Rica, and now we've seen them brush Georgia aside.

 

"Jack Wilshere used to be so inconsistent in an England jersey, and so frustrating to watch. Tonight, though, and it's a bit strange to say this about a 26-year-old, but I feel he's come of age at international level now. He's become that advanced midfield playmaker who can define a game, and I'll tell you what; Dele Alli will struggle to get his place back if Wilshere continues in this vein of form."

 

Alan Shearer agreed, "Yes, Wilshere made a huge difference today, but I think some of our forwards were very, very mediocre. England could easily have scored five or six goals if Callum Wilson had taken his chances, or if Redmond or Aarons had got themselves involved a lot more. Those two wingers were a bit lazy for me.

 

"There were times today when you felt like Wilshere was carrying England. That can't continue going forward, because sooner or later, we'll be punished."

 

Presenter Gary Lineker concurred, "I'm sure a perfectionist like Mark Catterall won't be completely satisfied with England's performance. Like Danny said, his team did what they had to do on the day.

 

"To be fair, it wasn't exactly the toughest of tests against a Georgian team with no real star quality and no prior tournament experience. I'd be interested to hear what our esteemed guest thought about the performance of Georgia's underdogs."

 

"I keep telling you, I'm not from that Georgia!" claimed an exasperated Michael Stipe, best known as the former lead singer of rock band R.E.M. "And I'm a musician! What would you expect ME to know about some Eastern Europeans who play soccer for a living?"

 

Lineker sighed, "Well, we don't know many Georgian football experts here at the BBC. There was this chap called Evil Dave, but apparently Pougatch and those punks from the other side got to him first. You were the next-best we could think of."

 

Murphy asked Stipe, "Well, since you're here now, Michael, could you care to give us England fans a song?"

 

Stipe cleared his throat and then sang, "Don't let yourself go, 'cause everybody cries! And everybody hurts... sometimes!"

 

Lineker suggested, "Erm, Mike... perhaps you could sing us 'Shiny Happy People' instead?"

 

2018 FIFA World Cup Group Stage Results & Tables

GROUP A: Croatia 5-1 Jamaica, Ghana 1-2 Russia

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    Q     Croatia                3     3     0     0     10    3     7     9
2.    Q     Russia                 3     2     0     1     7     5     2     6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Ghana                  3     0     1     2     2     4     -2    1
4.          Jamaica                3     0     1     2     2     9     -7    1

 

GROUP B: Mexico 0-3 France, Switzerland 4-0 Tunisia

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    Q     France                 3     3     0     0     7     1     6     9
2.    Q     Switzerland            3     1     1     1     4     2     2     4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Tunisia                3     1     0     2     5     8     -3    3
4.          Mexico                 3     0     1     2     2     7     -5    1

 

GROUP C: Costa Rica 0-3 Brazil, Georgia 0-3 England

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    Q     Brazil                 3     2     1     0     8     0     8     7
2.    Q     England                3     2     1     0     5     0     5     7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Costa Rica             3     0     1     2     0     5     -5    1
4.          Georgia                3     0     1     2     0     8     -8    1

 

GROUP D: Iran 0-3 Italy, Uruguay 2-1 Ivory Coast

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    Q     Uruguay                3     3     0     0     11    4     7     9
2.    Q     Ivory Coast            3     1     1     1     7     4     3     4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Italy                  3     1     1     1     7     6     1     4
4.          Iran                   3     0     0     3     1     12    -11   0

 

GROUP E: Portugal 2-1 Japan, Senegal 0-2 Spain

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    Q     Portugal               3     2     1     0     4     2     2     7
2.    Q     Spain                  3     1     2     0     4     2     2     5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Japan                  3     0     2     1     5     6     -1    2
4.          Senegal                3     0     1     2     3     6     -3    1

 

GROUP F: Argentina 1-0 Cameroon, Saudi Arabia 0-0 Romania

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    Q     Argentina              3     2     0     1     3     1     2     6
2.    Q     Saudi Arabia           3     1     2     0     2     1     1     5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Cameroon               3     1     1     1     3     2     1     4
4.          Romania                3     0     1     2     0     4     -4    1

 

GROUP G: Slovenia 1-3 Belgium, United States 0-0 Chile

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    Q     Belgium                3     2     1     0     4     1     3     7
2.    Q     Chile                  3     1     1     1     1     1     0     4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          United States          3     0     3     0     2     2     0     3
4.          Slovenia               3     0     1     2     3     6     -3    1

 

GROUP H: Colombia 2-0 China, Germany 1-0 Netherlands

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    Q     Germany                3     2     1     0     6     2     4     7
2.    Q     Netherlands            3     2     0     1     4     2     2     6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Colombia               3     1     1     1     4     3     1     4
4.          China                  3     0     0     3     1     8     -7    0

 

2018 FIFA World Cup Last 16 draw

Switzerland (B2) vs Croatia (A1)

France (B1) vs Russia (A2)

Brazil (C1) vs Ivory Coast (D2)

Uruguay (D1) vs England (C2)

Saudi Arabia (F2) vs Portugal (E1)

Spain (E2) vs Argentina (F1)

Netherlands (H2) vs Belgium (G1)

Germany (H1) vs Chile (G2)

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Chapter 18 - Moscow Mission

 

Finishing 2nd in Group C did have an unexpected benefit for England. Thanks to the quirks of the 2018 FIFA World Cup schedule, the Three Lions now knew that all their matches from this point onwards - starting with the Last 16 match against Uruguay - would be played in Moscow.

 

England's training camp in Volgograd had served them well over the Group Stage. Now, though, it was time for Mark Catterall and his team to leave that city behind and move on to the Russian capital. Before their departure, Catterall repaid the generosity of the staff at the team hotel by giving them 20 photographs of Raheem Sterling (signed by either Michael Keane or John Stones).

 

England were now sharing a training base with CSKA Moscow, which just so happened to be Gary Cahill's new club. Upon the team's arrival at the training ground on Friday 29 June, the central defender raised his left arm in the air and clenched his fist. As one solitary tear trickled down the left side of his face, Cahill said emotionally, "The motherland."

 

Cahill's now-former Chelsea team-mate Callum Wilson turned to Catterall and asked, "Is Gary alright, boss?"

 

"That's just how he is now, Callum," Catterall shrugged. "We've got to respect his beliefs, even if they are a little… off-putting to some of us."

 

Stones grumbled, "I wish he weren't so open about 'em. I believe in independence for Yorkshire, but yer don't hear me shouting from t' rooftops 'bout it!"

 

"Just get on with your own job, John. We've got a big game ahead of us on Sunday."

 

After their first training session, the players gathered in the meeting room later that afternoon for a discussion about tactics for the Uruguay game.

 

Assistant manager Michael Burke headed the meeting, telling the players, "You've done yourselves proud so far, lads. Three games, seven points, no goals conceded. You've made light work of the group phase, but don't get ahead of yourselves, because the knockout stage is where the pressure really ramps up.

 

"From now on, one mistake could be all the difference between victory and defeat. One mistake could send us home. One mistake could see you turned into a vegetable on The Sun's back pages."

 

Left-back Luke Shaw asked, "There aren't any Uruguayan vegetables, are there?"

 

Catterall then got up from his chair and stated, "We might have the joint-best defence in the competition with Brazil, but Uruguay have the strongest attack so far. They've scored 11 goals, including four against Italy, who know a thing or two about keeping things tight at the back.

 

"Edinson Cavani is one of the most complete centre-forwards in world football. He's got six goals already at this tournament, and why is that? It's because he works tirelessly from the first whistle to the last, always putting the opposition defenders under pressure, hoping they make mistakes.

 

"John, Phil [Jones], you'll be our centre-backs on Sunday. You'll have to be particularly careful with possession when Cavani is hovering around you."

 

Stones acknowledged Catterall's words, confidently saying, "Tha can count on us, gaffer. We're northerners; we won't let some Latin muppets get past us."

 

Jones then scoffed, "I eat South Americans for breakfast."

 

"In that case, Phil, we don't want you playing on a full stomach," Catterall stated.

 

Burke added, "More importantly, Phil, we don't want you to get distracted. I know those Russian modelling agencies can't get enough of your handsome chiselled looks, but put them on the back-burner for another few weeks, please."

 

"Sure thing, Mick," Jones half-laughed.

 

Catterall then said, "You'll also have to make sure not to give any space to Uruguay's other big attacking threat. Some of you will be familiar with his work already. And like Phil over here, he is always hungry, but for a different reason."

 

"Catts is, of course, talking about Armin Meiwes, aka Luis Suárez," Burke clarified, prompting a few chuckles from some of the older men in the room.

 

Catterall continued, "Suárez hasn't scored as regularly as Cavani, but a striker with the record he has will always be a threat. That said, we all know how volatile he can be when things don't go all his own way. A little intimidation from some of our more aggressive characters might go a long way to getting us the result we want."

 

"You what, mate? You talkin' about me?" Harry Kane asked.

 

"Course he ain't talking about you, Harry!" laughed Dele Alli. "You ain't aggressive; you couldn't even intimidate a kitten!"

 

Kane responded with an enthusiastic, "Meow!"

 

"Sorry?" Alli responded with some bewilderment.

 

"I said, 'meow'. I was intimidating a kitten, weren't I?"

 

An exasperated Alli swore underneath his breath, "You were imitating a kitten, you f***ing moron!"

 

"Anyway, lads, let's just break away from 'Footballers Say The Stupidest Things' for a moment!" Burke called out. "Like Catts was saying, it wouldn't hurt to try and niggle Suárez every now and then. Try not to go overboard, though, or we might have a Tyson-Holyfield situation."

 

David Platt piped up, "For those of you who were still in nappies in 1997, Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield's ear during a fight for the world heavyweight boxing championship. It was pretty nasty and all - much worse than anything Luis Suárez has ever done."

 

"Are you quite finished, David?" Catterall asked impatiently.

 

"I was gonna explain what happened to Holyfield's ear afterwards… but okay, I'll stop now if you'd like."

 

"Thank you. Now, lads, about this Uruguayan defence…"

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12 minutes ago, Drogba11CFC said:

Did you ever read Striker by any chance?

Funny you mention that; I'm a big fan of Pete Nash and Striker, having read it on-and-off for 17 years. (Yes, I did used to read The S*n, for my sins.)

Why'd you ask? Does Cahill the Communist remind you a bit of it? :D

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Just now, Drogba11CFC said:

I was drawn more to the similarity between Harry Kane and Scrapper Griswell in the intelligence stakes.

The old strips have now been serialised, I have all four volumes and I'm waiting for the fifth to go on sale in March.

Ah yes, of course! They are quite similar in some ways! :lol: To be honest, though, I wrote Kane to be more like a newer David Beckham than a proper numbskull such as Scrapper.

You might also have noticed a few Striker-ish tendencies in other players. It's also perhaps worth nothing that I've taken inspiration from many other comedy favourites for this story. The Guardian's sports cartoonist David Squires is a particular favourite, and the inspiration for Jesse 'SQUAD!' Lingard. (I've even included some of his work in previous forum avatars. Squires, that is, not Lingard.)

I've got all four volumes of classic Striker as well, having received #4 for Christmas. I'll get round to reading it once I've finished Squires' books. :D

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***

 

The mood in Moscow was a rather dark one on the first day of July 2018. Millions of Russians had woken up in a feeling dejected after seeing their team kicked out of their own FIFA World Cup the previous night. Russia had been soundly beaten 4-0 by an imperious France side who were inspired by a hat-trick from the world's most expensive footballer - Paul Pogba.

 

The opening match of the Last 16 had seen Switzerland eliminate Croatia, who topped Russia's group, with an extra-time strike from the evergreen Tranquillo Barnetta. That was a significant result for Mark Catterall, because his England team would face Switzerland in the Quarter Finals if they could successfully negotiate their opening match of the knockout phase.

 

England visited Moscow's Luzhniki stadium for the second time in this tournament, with a highly-fancied Uruguay team providing the opposition. Whoever won this tussle between the 6th- and 7th-placed teams in the FIFA World Rankings would return to the Luzhniki to play the Swiss on 6 July. Whoever lost would be on the next flight home.

 

As far as many of the English players were concerned, this was a great opportunity to seek revenge. La Celeste had effectively eliminated the Three Lions from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, recording a fateful 2-1 win in São Paulo. The clinical but controversial striker Luis Suárez took a couple of figurative bites into the English defence. He then took a literal bite into Italy centre-back Giorgio Chiellini a few days later and was banned for the rest of the tournament.

 

Suárez, now aged 31 and significantly more mature, had stayed clear of controversy at this World Cup. The Barcelona ace had scored in all three of Uruguay's group wins, finding the net four times. However, he'd been almost completely overshadowed by his strike partner Edinson Cavani; the Paris Saint-Germain striker had claimed SIX goals and was leading the race for the Golden Boot.

 

It went without saying that Uruguay were the most prolific scorers in the Group Stage, though their defence wasn't too shabby. José Giménez and Diego Godín were both cornerstones of Diego Simeone's rock-solid backline at Atlético Madrid. A potential weak link in the Uruguayan rearguard was their goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, who'd recently endured the agony of suffering relegation from the Premier League in his first season at West Ham United.

 

Uruguay were full of experience in their squad, and also in the dugout. At 71 years old, Óscar Tabárez was the oldest coach at the World Cup, not to mention the longest-serving (he'd been at the helm since 2006). Tabárez would retire at the conclusion of this tournament.

 

Vis-à-vis England, they went into this match with a surprising record of not having conceded a single goal yet. The only other team to have kept three clean sheets in a row in the round-robin phase was their Group C rivals Brazil.

 

Catterall would look to keep things tight again here, as he lined his team up a 4-3-1-2 formation, and brought back many of the key men who'd been rested for that final group game against Georgia. Daniel Sturridge and Harry Kane headed the attack, even though neither man had registered a single goal or assist in this tournament. Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Eric Dier - the only player to start all three group games for England - was given a well-earned rest.

 

England had made the more positive start in all their previous fixtures in Russia, and they would do so again here. Barely a minute had passed when right-back Nathaniel Clyne skilfully dribbled past both Nicolás Lodeiro and Álvaro Pereira before curling a cross to the far post. Much to his disappointment, Sturridge volleyed the cross into the advertising boards.

 

Sturridge's afternoon didn't get any better in the eighth minute. The Liverpool striker landed awkwardly after an aerial collision with Godín in the centre circle and was feared to have twisted his knee. Sturridge hobbled on, albeit quite gingerly.

 

England looked a bit more dangerous in the middle of the first period, when they won a host of corners. However, they found centre-backs Godín and Sebastián Coates to be in strong form, with both men making several strong interceptions.

 

Kane enjoyed the Three Lions' best scoring opportunity yet after 22 minutes. He met a pinpoint pass from Tottenham team-mate Dele Alli with a vicious edge-of-the-area strike that was narrowly clawed away by Muslera.

 

Suárez and Cavani had struggled to get past a well-structured England backline, though the latter did trouble one of Catterall's defenders in the 25th minute. Manchester United centre-half Phil Jones tripped Cavani deep in England's half, for which he received only the second booking of his team's campaign. Jones quickly made amends by heading away the resultant free-kick delivery from Uruguay midfielder Giorgian De Arrascaeta.

 

After 34 minutes, Kane got above both Godín and Giménez to flick England captain Jordan Henderson's free-kick over the crossbar. Kane had another chance on the stroke of half-time, but after exchanging passes with Jones, he failed to beat Muslera from a tight angle.

 

For England fans, this was becoming all too familiar. A host of missed chances had seen the Three Lions go into the second half of a match goalless for the third time at this World Cup. England legend and BBC pundit Alan Shearer summed it up by saying, "This has just been dire. This England team has been boring me to death."

 

While the frustration of his compatriots was growing, Catterall was planning a couple of personnel changes before the second half. Michael Keane replaced the booked Jones to partner his Manchester City colleague John Stones in the centre of England's defence. Meanwhile, Sturridge - clearly hampered by that early knock to his knee - made way for Chelsea striker Callum Wilson.

 

Wilson's first real attacking run in the 49th minute ended with him running into the human brick wall that was Godín. Uruguay then countered quickly, with Cavani and De Arrascaeta playing a one-two before the tournament's top scorer chased down a seventh goal. Cavani's accuracy was somewhat suspect on this occasion, though, as he hit the side netting.

 

Uruguay were coming into the game a bit more, though England were now really starting to show why they hadn't yet conceded. Stones and Clyne were both enjoying strong games, with their tackles and interceptions constantly frustrating La Celeste.

 

At the other end, England's attacking game was slowly coming together as well. Midfielder Danny Drinkwater fired a promising effort into the hands of Muslera after 55 minutes. Eight minutes after that, the Uruguayan goalkeeper then awkwardly parried behind a right-wing cross from Wilson.

 

Then came Uruguay's best spell of the match, during which Fiorentina midfielder Matías Vecino became an unlikely scoring threat. In the 64th minute, Vecino pounced on a heavy first touch from Adam Lallana and blasted it goalwards, forcing Joe Hart into a difficult save.

 

On 69 minutes, Cavani's attempted flick-on to Suárez was intercepted by Stones. The England defender could only volley it on to Vecino, who went for goal... and found Hart's gloves again.

 

Another minute passed, and then Vecino squared another Stones interception on to Suárez in space. Suárez skinned England left-back Luke Shaw and attempted to cross to Cavani, but Keane leapt up to nod the ball away. Young Celeste substitute Rodrigo Bentancur flicked the ball back towards goal, but Stones scrambled it into touch.

 

Stones was carving out a reputation as one of the best ball-playing defenders in Europe, as he showed again a little over 15 minutes before full-time. The 24-year-old Yorkshireman brilliantly closed down a Bentancur pass and lobbed it first-time to Kane right on the halfway line.

 

With Uruguay's players rushing back into their half, Kane sought out his strike partner Wilson, who only had to get past Giménez and Muslera. Wilson made a beeline for the goal, and though Giménez tried to narrow the angle, it was too late. Chelsea's almost-£50million man pulled the trigger from the edge of the Uruguayan area, and Muslera was left stranded as the ball whistled past him and into the net.

 

Prior to the last World Cup in 2014, Wilson had completed his first season of playing regular first-team football for hometown club Coventry City, for whom he had scored 21 times in League One. Now, with only his fourth international goal, he'd put England just a quarter-hour away from the World Cup Quarter Finals!

 

One might've expected England to shut up shop after taking a 1-0 lead against strong opposition, but they instead pushed forward for another goal to kill Uruguay off. Attacking midfield substitute Jack Wilshere, who'd replaced Lallana just before Wilson's opener, whipped a long-distance strike over the bar in the 82nd minute. Two minutes later, Wilson played a clever through-ball to Kane, whose shot also went skyward.

 

Surprisingly, Uruguay did not have the air of a team desperately in need of an equaliser. They wouldn't get close to pegging England back until injury time, when Bentancur dispossessed Kane and played a long pass ahead of Suárez. After breaking clear of Shaw, Suárez weighted the ball across the pitch and picked out substitute forward Nicolás López, who was well ahead of Clyne and bearing down on goal.

 

England's fans held their collective breaths as López struck the ball first-time, hoping to beat Hart at the goalkeeper's right-hand post. Hart was just about able to push the ball behind, thus keeping England ahead.

 

Another couple of minutes passed, and then it was all over. England had got their World Cup revenge and were into the Quarter Finals for the first time since 2006. They now had five days to prepare for their next opponents - Switzerland.

 

1 July 2018: FIFA World Cup Last 16 - at Luzhniki, Moscow

Uruguay - 0

England - 1 (Callum Wilson 76)

ENGLAND LINE-UP (4-3-1-2): Joe Hart; Nathaniel Clyne, John Stones, Phil Jones (Michael Keane), Luke Shaw; Danny Drinkwater, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli; Adam Lallana (Jack Wilshere); Daniel Sturridge (Callum Wilson), Harry Kane. BOOKED: Jones 25.

 

Gary Lineker and the rest of the BBC team discussed the result on air after the final whistle. Shearer poured cold water on England's World Cup hopes, moaning, "We got away with it again tonight, Gary. It wasn't anywhere near vintage England for me.

 

"For a lot of that match, I was convinced - totally convinced - that Uruguay were going to win hands-down. On another day, Cavani and Suárez would have taken us to the cleaners. If I was in the England dressing room right now, I'd be giving John Stones a huge pat on the back. He intercepted Uruguay's attacks time after time with hardly a moment's rest, and it was also his pass to Harry Kane that helped him create the decisive goal."

 

Lineker responded, "Surely you've got to give the team some credit, though, because they hung in there, and then - as you said - they eventually hit Uruguay on the break."

 

Shearer continued, "I've been saying all day long that Callum Wilson should have started ahead of Daniel Sturridge. He's got explosive pace, which none of our other strikers have. When he latches onto through-balls - like the one Harry Kane laid on for him - and goes one-on-one with the keeper, you can always rely on him to hit the target. By the way, that was a fantastic finish, but he really should've been on the pitch at the very start."

 

Sitting next to Shearer was former Uruguay international Gustavo Poyet - best known to many English fans, of course, as the father of Godoy Cruz midfielder Diego Poyet. He also happened to be a mediocre manager who had coached the likes of Brighton & Hove Albion, Sunderland and Shanghai Shenhua.

 

Lineker asked Poyet about Uruguay's front two of Cavani and Suárez, and why they hadn't lived up to expectations. He replied, "To be honest, I think they were very... lethargic, very tired. Óscar Tabárez started them both in every game - that's four games in two weeks. Cavani and Suárez are amazing world-class forwards, of course, but they're not machines.

 

"Maybe they could have been rested against the Ivory Coast, especially because we had won our first two matches and were already through to the knockout rounds. Suárez picked up a little injury in that Ivory Coast match, let's not forget. These little things... they can catch up with you in the end, and I'm not surprised that they caught up with our front two."

 

"Squad rotation is a key part of tournament football," Shearer nodded. "I might've had a right go at the England team just now, but I'll give Mark Catterall his due for knowing when to use his best players and when to save their energy. He appreciates that this tournament is not a sprint; it's a marathon, of possibly seven matches."

 

The BBC had also invited two guest pundits to analyse this match - Mancunian comedian Jason Manford, and adult film actress Apple Samsung, who happened to be a former girlfriend of Raheem Sterling's. However, Lineker noticed that their chairs were empty for the post-match analysis.

 

"Do either of you gents know where Jason and Apple have got to?" Lineker asked.

 

Poyet shrugged, but Shearer noted, "You know what, Gary... I think they were canoodling during the second half, and then snuck off at the final whistle."

 

Poyet said, "Yes, come to think of it, I think Jason said that they were... as you English say, nipping off to the loo."

 

Lineker groaned, "Oh, God, no... please don't tell me they have!" He then briefly removed his microphone and muttered, "I thought I'd never hear of this - a sex scandal at the BBC."

 

2018 FIFA World Cup Last 16 Results

Switzerland 2-1 Croatia (aet)

France 4-0 Russia

Brazil 4-0 Ivory Coast

Uruguay 0-1 England

Saudi Arabia 1-2 Portugal

Spain 0-0 Argentina (aet, Argentina win 3-2 on penalties)

Netherlands 0-1 Belgium

Germany 3-3 Chile (aet, Chile win 4-3 on penalties)

 

2018 FIFA World Cup Quarter Final draw

Switzerland vs England

France vs Brazil

Portugal vs Chile

Argentina vs Belgium

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***

 

24 hours had passed since England defeated Uruguay to reach the Quarter Finals of the FIFA World Cup. After a light training session on the subsequent Monday morning, the players and coaching staff had an opportunity in the evening to talk to their loved ones, whom they had been separated from for nigh on a month.

 

Mark Catterall spent most of his evening in his hotel room, where he made a Skype call to his wife Jenny and son Luke, who were at home in Staffordshire.

 

Mark smiled as Jenny and Luke's faces appeared on his iPad screen. He beamed, "Good evening, Jenny! Good evening, Luke! How are you two?"

 

"We're fine, thank you," Jenny said.

 

"It's always nice to hear your voice when you're away," Luke said. "England did really well last night, didn't they?"

 

"Yes, we did. Uruguay are a fantastic team, and it was important that we stopped [Edinson] Cavani or [Luis] Suárez from scoring."

 

"And then Callum Wilson scored. He is so quick, like Usain Bolt! I think he's my new favourite England player now!"

 

Mark smiled, "That's partly why I picked him. He's the fastest striker we've got, and he sure knows how to finish."

 

Jenny asked, "Are you going to start Wilson in the next match?"

 

"I think I will, Jen. I gave him a chance to impress, and he's done exactly that. I wish I could say the same about Harry Kane and Daniel Sturridge."

 

Luke said, "Yeah, they've been rubbish. They used to score loads of goals for England. What's happened to them?"

 

Mark sighed, "It's hard to say for sure. I think Daniel is snatching at a lot of his chances. And Harry… it's his first World Cup, and the first time he's been away from his daughter for a long time since she was born. I get the feeling that he's a bit nervous, and maybe even a bit homesick."

 

Mark's comments about Kane prompted Jenny to ask him, "What about you, Mark? Are you missing home right now? Be honest with us."

 

"I'm missing you a bit," Mark admitted, "but I'm not in a rush to go home just yet. I quite fancy staying in Russia for another fortnight! I don't know how you feel about that, Luke…"

 

"I'm okay," Luke said. "I'm happy to wait for you if it means you come home with a medal."

 

"I'm working on it, son. We've got to get past Switzerland on Friday first before we can think about medals!"

 

Jenny said, "Oh, yeah, Switzerland. People over here are saying they're a talented team with a lot of energy, and that they could cause England a lot of problems."

 

"They are very strong indeed. They're very multicultural as well, with players from all sorts of different backgrounds - Italian, Kosovan, Chilean, Ivorian, Cameroonian, I could go on. The Swiss Daily Mail must absolutely hate them!"

 

"England will win on Friday," Luke said. "I know they will."

 

"I like your confidence, Luke. We did actually beat Switzerland a few months ago, if you still remember that. But they'll want to put things right this time, that's for sure."

 

Mark then took a sip of water before asking Luke, "Anyway, son… how was school today?"

 

"It was okay."

 

Mark noticed a sense of reluctance in Luke's voice. "You don't sound okay to me, Luke. Why? Did summat happen at school today?"

 

Luke hesitated before admitting, "I… I got into a fight with another boy."

 

"Why was that?"

 

"This boy, he keeps bumping into me at school for no reason. I just got sick and tired of it, so I knocked over his walking stick in the playground and pushed him to the ground. The head teacher saw me and put me in detention."

 

"You shouldn't do things like that, Luke. Even if people are bullying you, violence is not the answer."

 

"That's exactly what I told him," Jenny said as she slowly rubbed Luke's back. "But Luke has promised not to do it again, haven't you?"

 

"Yes, Mum," Luke nodded. "And Dad."

 

"It's okay, Luke. I'll forgive you this one time. So… any plans for this evening, Jen?"

 

Jenny said, "We're just waiting for 'Coronation Street' to come on in about an hour's time. Then it's bedtime for Luke at 9 o'clock, and Mummy will spend the rest of the evening watching 'Jordskott' on ITV3."

 

"That sounds nice."

 

"How about yourself? Any interesting things on Russian TV?"

 

"Not really. All the channels are a load of crap, excuse my French. You've got Channel One, with its dodgy remakes of British and American TV shows. Then there's RT, which has Alex Salmond's chat show and lots of right-wing propaganda. Otherwise, it's a choice between bear judo and Vladimir Putin hunting documentaries."

 

"Really? That's all?"

 

Mark nodded, and Jenny asked a follow-up question, "So what are you doing of an evening then?"

 

"I've been streaming episodes of 'The Joy of Painting' with Bob Ross. I'm up to season 7 now."

 

Luke asked, "Who's Bob Ross?"

 

Jenny explained, "He's like Neil Buchanan, but he's American, and he has an afro, and he's dead. Wait a minute. You're a bit too young to remember 'Art Attack', aren't you?"

 

"What's that?"

 

"Thought as much. So, Mark, why the sudden love for Bob Ross? Are you thinking about doing some painting once you get home?"

 

Mark scoffed, "Are you having a laugh? I might come from the same part of the world as L.S. Lowry, but I've got about as much talent with a brush as that Spanish woman who painted Monkey Jesus! Coaching's just about the only thing I'm remotely good at... and I hope I can still say that at the end of this week!"

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10 hours ago, mark wilson27 said:

A good result against Uruguay and a decent draw against Switzerland, and whats that I see Germany losing on penalties got to be a bug in the game

I was half-expecting us to fall short against Uruguay, so I was delighted that we scraped through. Switzerland should theoretically be an easier Quarter Final tie, but there can't be any room for complacency.

Yes, Germany lost on penalties! No wonder we're feeling schadenfreude! Thomas Müller and Julian Brandt missed the decisive penalties, both of which were saved by Claudio Bravo. Yep, that's got to be a bug!

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***

 

On a wet Friday night in Moscow, England geared up for their date with destiny. Victory over Switzerland at the Luzhniki would keep the Three Lions at a FIFA World Cup throughout its final week for the first time in 28 years. Defeat would only add further credence to the widespread belief that England were big-stage bottlers when it came to international football.

 

As far as many were concerned, this World Cup Quarter Final was England's to lose. They had won 13 of their 14 qualifying and finals matches and had still not conceded any goals at the tournament itself. If this match went to the form book, there was surely no preventing Mark Catterall from emulating Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson in taking the Three Lions to the last four of football's global showpiece.

 

Switzerland's World Cup pedigree was not quite so impressive. Though this was the fourth tournament in a row that they'd qualified for, they were into their first Quarter Final since hosting the event in 1954. Of the eight teams still in contention to be crowned world champions on 15 July, they were very much the outsiders.

 

The last decade had seen the Nati flourish from also-rans into a team of genuine quality and talent, with the potential to seriously challenge for honours over the coming years. In their starting line-up against England were no fewer than four players aged 21 or under. Amongst them was Schalke 04 striker Breel Embolo, who was making only his second appearance in the tournament after straining his back in the opening group game against Mexico.

 

Adding rather more experience to a youthful defence were 25-year-old Wolfsburg left-back Ricardo Rodríguez, and Juventus right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner, who was positively ancient at 34. However, manager Vladimir Petkovic was missing his most combative midfield destroyer - Arsenal's Granit Xhaka, who was serving a suspension after picking up his second booking of the tournament in the Last 16 win over Petkovic's native Croatia.

 

Switzerland and England had already faced one another before this year, with Harry Kane scoring the only goal for the latter in Basel back in March. Kane wouldn't lead the England frontline this time around, as Callum Wilson was instead given the nod following his late winner against Uruguay in the Last 16.

 

The victory over La Celeste had been a hard-fought one, and Catterall retained only two members of his starting XI from that match - goalkeeper Joe Hart and captain Jordan Henderson. Amongst the nine players who were promoted from the bench was Leicester City forward Demarai Gray, who made his first start at this tournament.

 

Even with a heavily-changed side, few could foresee England failing to qualify for the Semi Finals. If successful, their next match would be held on 10 June at the Otkritie Arena in northern Moscow, where they would take on either Argentina or Belgium for the right to contest the World Cup Final five days later.

 

The Three Lions had not yet been seriously tested in this tournament, but that would soon change. Just before the eighth minute, a block-tackle from England left-back Danny Rose on Lichtsteiner diverted the ball behind for a Switzerland corner. Rodríguez swung the set-piece deep to his Swiss team-mate Nico Elvedi, who climbed above Michael Keane and sent a bullet header flying past Hart.

 

That was 21-year-old Leicester City defender Elvedi's first international goal for Switzerland. It was also the first goal England had conceded all tournament long, and it remained to be seen how they would cope with chasing a game.

 

England's response was a positive one. Less than two minutes later, Eric Dier put a cross into Switzerland's area, forcing centre-back Fabian Schär into a difficult clearance. The header fell to the feet of Gray, who controlled the ball with his right foot and then fired it towards goal with his left.

 

Gray's low drive was pushed away by Swiss keeper Roman Bürki, who'd surprisingly been selected ahead of first-choice goalie Yann Sommer. Southampton winger Nathan Redmond was the first man to the rebound, which he prodded past a prone Bürki to swiftly restore parity for England.

 

Switzerland pressed for another goal at the 15-minute mark, when midfielder Luca Zuffi sent a free-kick over the bar following a foul from England defender Gary Cahill on Valentin Stocker. Two minutes later, Embolo fired a 25-yarder into the stands, having picked up a clever pass from Hertha BSC midfielder Stocker.

 

There then followed a spate of England corners, and an agonising miss from Dier in the 21st minute. The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder surged clear of Rodríguez to collect Jack Wilshere's incisive pass, but he could only cannon it off the crossbar.

 

On 27 minutes, 20-year-old Swiss forward Dimitri Oberlin - recently signed by Borussia Mönchengladbach from Red Bull Salzburg - dribbled towards the England goal before curling a tame effort into Hart's hands. Oberlin was looking a little overawed by the occasion, as he showed four minutes later, when he was booked for a foul on Rose.

 

Both goalkeepers would face further tests in the closing stages of the first half. Hart kept out a long-range volley from Pajtim Kasami in the 35th minute, in between a couple of Bürki saves from Keane and Wilson. There were also a couple of late bookings - one for Kasami, and one for England's captain Jordan Henderson.

 

At one-all, it was very much all to play for. Catterall kept faith in his starting line-up for the second half, but Petkovic made one alteration to his Switzerland team before the restart, replacing Embolo with Tranquillo Barnetta. It was Barnetta who had scored the winning goal against Croatia, so Swiss supporters were perhaps hoping that the 33-year-old midfielder would produce another moment to savour.

 

England continued to rack up the corners early in the second period, though many of them ended up safely in Bürki's grasp. Their first genuine shot after the resumption was fired wide by Gray in the 55th minute, by which point Switzerland had already made their second substitution and were planning a third.

 

Holding midfielder Fabian Frei came on for Denis Zakaria in the 51st minute. Five minutes later, Stocker was sacrificed for Bayer Leverkusen forward Admir Mehmedi. That last substitution was a big gamble on Petkovic's part, as Barnetta had recently been hurt in an aerial clash with Keane and was struggling to carry on.

 

Catterall's main concern wasn't about any of his options from the bench, but rather England's inability to dominate the aerial battles. Cahill and Dier each flicked shots just wide of the Swiss goal before the hour mark, but those aside, it was Switzerland who looked the more imposing team in the air. That was thanks in no small part to the very impressive Elvedi, who almost put his country back in front with a header in the 61st minute.

 

Switzerland's best chance to take a 2-1 lead had come about after Redmond felled Rodríguez just outside the England area. Redmond was booked, and Rodríguez lofted the resultant free-kick to the head of Elvedi, whose attempt on goal was brilliantly claimed by Hart.

 

In the 71st minute, Switzerland played a string of excellent passes through the England defence before Mehmedi found Barnetta in the penalty area. Barnetta only had to place his shot past Hart for a 2-1 Swiss lead, but the ball took a nick off the keeper's left-hand post, and a relieved Keane hacked the danger away.

 

Switzerland would come to rue that miss a minute later. Wilshere's interception from a Rodríguez cross saw the Three Lions put together a devastating counter-attack. Wilson took the ball upfield before angling it out left to Gray, who broke away from Lichtsteiner and laid on a byline cross that Redmond finished consummately. England were 2-1 up, with a little under 20 minutes to play.

 

Switzerland should have drawn back level in the 75th minute, when Oberlin picked up a first-time pass from Mehmedi and dribbled past Keane to leave him with just Hart to beat. The young attacker went for power over precision, though, and his shot sailed over the crossbar.

 

Catterall would soon make his first two substitutions, with Henderson and Gray coming off for Dele Alli and Rolando Aarons. Henderson passed the captain's armband on to Hart, who superbly blocked a vicious long-ranger from Mehmedi in the 76th minute.

 

Wilson and Aarons then narrowly missed late chances to finish the game off for England, with the latter having a promising effort tipped behind by Bürki in the 83rd minute. Immediately after that, Catterall brought off attacking midfielder Wilshere for the more conservative Danny Drinkwater.

 

Leicester City middleman Drinkwater was instructed to play it safe, but just two minutes after coming on, he provided the ammunition for the fatal shot on Switzerland's World Cup dream. After finding Aarons in acres of space in the Switzerland area, Drinkwater rolled the ball forward to the Jamaican-born Bristolian, who tucked away his maiden England goal. 3-1, game over.

 

A wonderful night for England could've had the perfect ending for Redmond, who was denied a hat-trick when Bürki caught his header in the 90th minute. Catterall wasn't too disappointed, mind. England had racked up 23 shots (11 on target) and an astonishing 24 corners in a very convincing display - arguably their finest of the tournament so far.

 

The final whistle from Israeli referee Sagi Alfasi was music to English ears. The Three Lions were now 180 minutes away from taking the World Cup home.

 

6 July 2018: FIFA World Cup Quarter Final - at Luzhniki, Moscow

Switzerland - 1 (Nico Elvedi 8)

England - 3 (Nathan Redmond 10,72, Rolando Aarons 85)

ENGLAND LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Joe Hart; Kyle Walker, Gary Cahill, Michael Keane, Danny Rose; Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson (Dele Alli); Nathan Redmond, Jack Wilshere (Danny Drinkwater), Demarai Gray (Rolando Aarons); Callum Wilson. BOOKED: Henderson 44, Redmond 61.

 

Not since 1990 had England gone all the way to the Semi Final of a World Cup. It wasn't a surprise, then, that ITV's Ian Wright was as excited as anyone in Moscow after the final whistle.

 

"I feel like jumping up and down like a little kid who's had too many sugary treats!" Wright beamed in the studio. "That was England at their very, very best! It weren't a great start, to be fair, but we really turned it on after that Switzerland goal and tore 'em to shreds.

 

"Switzerland were packing the midfield, but Catts knew exactly what he had to do to counter that. He stretched the play out and made sure Demarai and Nathan got as much of the ball as possible. Their energy, their creativity - that was what made the difference for me."

 

Wright's fellow pundit Gary Neville - a former Three Lions full-back who was now the assistant manager at Fulham - said, "Nathan Redmond was on fire tonight. He had Ricardo Rodríguez chasing shadows all night long. For me, this was the day that he came alive as an England player. It was a wonderful, wonderful performance from one of the most underrated players in this England squad."

 

Presenter Mark Pougatch asked his colleagues the big question, "After this performance, do you believe that England have what it takes to... whisper it... win the World Cup?"

 

"Absolutely," Wright said. "We're in the last four, and you don't get to this stage of the World Cup if you're not a good team. Well, unless you're South Korea all them years ago, when they had home advantage and all the big calls went their way. Erm, what was I saying just now?"

 

Neville was rather more reserved, saying, "I'm gonna be realistic. Is this England team strong enough to win the World Cup? For me, the answer is no. I just have a few too many doubts about whether they can hold their nerve when it really matters most. Teams like France, Belgium, Portugal have those big-game clutch players in abundance, but do England? I am really not sure we do."

 

Pougatch then asked Wright and Neville, "We've been on air for three minutes, so we're due another ad break in about 60 seconds. Anything else you'd like to add in the meantime?"

 

Neville shrugged, "No, not really. We can finish up now if you'd like."

 

Wright agreed, "Yeah, man, let's call it a day. I'm Hank Marvin at the minute, mate."

 

"You know, Wrighty, I was having a word with Evil Dave the other day," Neville noted. "He says there's a restaurant about 15 minutes from here that serves the most wonderful, wonderful Armenian cuisine. How about we pop over there for an hour?"

 

"I'm all for that, mate. And thanks for the recommendation, Dave."

 

"Care if I join you, lads?" Pougatch asked, before turning back towards the camera and quickly signing off, "We'll be back tomorrow afternoon for Argentina vs Belgium. Goodnight!"

 

The newspapers back home were almost as wildly giddy as Wright about what was possibly going to happen. The Daily Mirror went with "RED LETTER DAY" as a headline, in tribute to Redmond's double. The Sun praised Catterall in its headline, which read, "BIG CHEESE CREAMS SWISS CHEESE".

 

The Daily Mail's back page was emblazoned with "START DREAMING NOW!", and the tagline, "Switzerland fall... now bring on the Argies (if they win tonight, of course)". Meanwhile, the various editions of the multilingual Swiss Daily Mail carried the headlines: "DES ÉTRANGERS SANGLANTS!", "BLUTIGE AUSLÄNDER!", "STRANIERI INSANGUINATI!", and "GHUY' NOV!"

 

Argentina were slight favourites to beat Belgium in their Quarter Final and take a step closer to what would be a second successive World Cup Final. What's more, they had made it this far without Barcelona megastar Lionel Messi, who had controversially been left out of the squad by head coach Edgardo Bauza for disciplinary reasons.

 

Messi's absence would be keenly felt in the business end of the tournament. Belgium took a 19th-minute lead through Mousa Dembélé and eventually held on for a 1-0 win over an Albiceleste side shorn of their most gifted player.

 

While Bauza faced strong criticism from the Argentine press for a gamble that went disastrously wrong, the Red Devils progressed to their first World Cup Semi Final since 1986. Only England now stood between them and a shot at glory.

 

The other Semi Final would also see a one-time champion take on a team with limited experience of going deep into a World Cup. France, who lifted the Cup on home soil in 1998, had narrowly beaten Brazil 1-0 in the first Quarter Final. Manchester United's Paul Pogba continued his fine form by scoring the only goal after 37 minutes.

 

Les Bleus would now move on to a last-four date with dark horses Chile, who'd followed up a penalty shoot-out victory over holders Germany by eliminating European champions Portugal in similar circumstances following a four-goal thriller. Portugal's captain Cristiano Ronaldo had earlier missed a 93rd-minute penalty that would've seen his team secure a 3-2 win in normal time. Ironically, Ronaldo was also the only Portuguese player to score in the subsequent shoot-out.

 

At the start of the 2018 World Cup, very few punters would have tipped Belgium, Chile, England and France to be the final four teams standing. It really was anybody's guess as to who would ultimately prevail.

 

2018 FIFA World Cup Quarter Final Results

Switzerland 1-3 England

France 1-0 Brazil

Portugal 2-2 Chile (aet, Chile win 3-1 on penalties)

Argentina 0-1 Belgium

 

2018 FIFA World Cup Semi Final draw

England vs Belgium

France vs Chile

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Chapter 19 - Final Four

 

Saturday 7 July 2018 was a rather quiet day for England's footballers. Following their latest victory at the FIFA World Cup, the players had a light training session in the morning, and were then given the rest of the day off by manager Mark Catterall.

 

After having his lunch at midday, Catterall returned to his office with assistant Michael Burke. The pair would discuss their plans for the upcoming Semi Final against Belgium whilst watching the latest sports news in the background.

 

Catterall's television was tuned to FIFA TV - the new broadcasting network set up by world football's governing body specifically for this tournament. The station would broadcast regular news bulletins, which were usually fronted by the glamourous former Sky Sports presenter Kate Abdo.

 

"Oh, I do like that Kate Abdo," Burke drooled. "She's smart, good-looking, speaks many languages. I'm telling you now, Catts, that if I'd never met Julia..."

 

Catterall smiled, "I couldn't possibly speak for myself, Mick."

 

The pair perked up further when FIFA TV cut to footage of the Argentina team arriving at Sheremetyevo International Airport near the centre of Moscow, where they would shortly board a flight back home to Buenos Aires. Scores of Argentinean supporters who'd been angered by the team's Quarter Final exit to Belgium - not to mention the absence of talisman Lionel Messi - pelted head coach Edgardo Bauza and several players with tomatoes upon their arrival.

 

Burke laughed, "Rather them than us, right?"

 

Abdo then broke the news that Cristiano Ronaldo had announced his resignation as Portugal captain in the wake of their penalty shoot-out loss to Chile. Ronaldo was in floods of tears as he sat beside manager Fernando Santos and read out a statement at a hastily-arranged press conference.

 

Part of Ronaldo's statement read, "Today, I cry for the people of Portugal, for they will no longer have the privilege of seeing Cristiano captain the Selecção das Quinas to international glory. I also cry for football, and for the injustice that the sport's greatest player will never get to lift the World Cup in triumph."

 

The Real Madrid superstar added that he was still available to play for Portugal at the 2020 UEFA European Championship. He would be 35 years old come that tournament, which was likely to be his last at international level.

 

Meanwhile, Abdo announced that Germany's long-serving national coach Joachim Löw had been removed from his position after 12 years. The Deutscher Fußball-Bund paid an emotional tribute to the 2014 World Cup winner, commending Löw for his contributions to football and fashion.

 

Five-time champions Brazil had also dispensed with their coach, with Tite paying the price for a Quarter Final defeat to new bookmakers' favourites France. A leading Brazilian football journalist reported that Paulo Autuori - the manager of Atlético Paranaense - had already been approached about taking on one of football's most pressurised jobs.

 

Catterall said, "Look at all those big names, Mick. They've all dropped like flies, but we're still here. We must be doing summat right!"

 

Burke replied, "We've kept our heads while they've lost theirs. You know, like what Kipling the cake man once said."

 

"And now we're just one game from the Final."

 

"I think you can excuse me for getting a little excited about that!"

 

"Same here, but we can't lose focus. Not now. Belgium will want to beat us just as much as we wanna beat them."

 

The pair then heard three loud knocks on the door. Burke called out, "Who's there?"

 

"Harry!" came the reply from behind the door.

 

"Harry who?"

 

"Harry Kane! I play football for England and Tottenham Hotspur... I think."

 

Burke laughed, "Come on in, Harry! Of course we knew it was you!"

 

Kane opened the door and smiled as he entered the office before sitting down at Catterall's desk.

 

"How are you today, Harry?" Catterall asked.

 

"Yeah, I'm fine, y'know. I could be better, to be honest, mate."

 

"Is summat up?"

 

"Yeah, y'know, kinda. I'm starting to miss home a bit, though."

 

Burke nodded, "Aren't we all, Harry? Look, fella, we've only got one more week here. One more week. Then we can go back home and see our families again."

 

"Of course, I'm looking forward to that, y'know. I can't wait to see my little girl Ivy again."

 

Kane then brought out his phone and flicked through a photographs app before showing Catterall and Burke. He beamed, "My missus Katie sent me some photos of her yesterday. She's a bundle of joy, y'know, the apple of my eye, y'know... she's the best thing in my life, mate."

 

Catterall asked, "How old's she now?"

 

"Well, er, Ivy was born in 2017, so I think she's one year old this year, obviously. No, wait… she was born in January. Is that before or after June?"

 

"It's July, Harry. And January is before July."

 

"So, yeah, obviously, she's a year old now. And, er, I was born in July 1993, y'know, so, er... how old am I?"

 

Burke then asked, "What date were you born on?"

 

"A Wednesday," Kane replied affirmatively.

 

Burke stressed, "No, Harry. I asked for the date."

 

"Ah, right. The 28th. I know that 'cos it's the same date as my birthday. That's not happened yet, ain't it?"

 

"No, it's the 7th today," Catterall said, as he handed the phone back to Kane. "You've got another three weeks until your birthday."

 

"So I'm..." Kane said, before counting his fingers. Catterall quickly interrupted him to say, "You're 24 years old. You'll be 25 on your birthday. To be honest, Harry, I can't believe I'm even having this conversation right now!"

 

"Sorry, mate," Kane sighed. "And come to think of it, y'know, I should be saying sorry for how I've played at this World Cup, y'know."

 

"I don't think you need to apologise for anything," Burke said. "We're in the Semi Finals, for goodness sake! You've helped us get there! All of you have, even Fraser Forster!"

 

"No, I haven't! I ain't scored, y'know! You keep telling me to go out there and get some goals, but I ain't getting any goals right now! No matter how hard I work on the training pitch, or the football pitch, it just ain't happening! I don't know how to get goals anymore!"

 

Kane put his head in his hands. Burke reassured him, "All strikers go through a crisis of confidence at some point in their lives. Yours has just come at the most inopportune... I mean the worst time. But things will get better soon, I'm sure."

 

Catterall said, "I think you need to relax a bit more, lad. Don't get yourself stressed out 'cos you aren't playing as well as you think you should. If you can take it a little bit easier, then I have no doubt you'll be scoring again in no time."

 

Kane nodded, "Thanks, mate. I'll try and do that in future."

 

Catterall smiled, "Good. I'd like to see the old Harry Kane come back on Tuesday."

 

"You what?"

 

"I'm gonna give you another start against Belgium. Okay, you haven't scored yet, but I think you've got the skills and the temperament we need to get past the Belgian defenders."

 

"Seriously, mate? I thought you would've picked Callum instead!"

 

Catterall shook his head. "Wilson didn't work hard enough against Switzerland for me. That was really disappointing, after his winner against Uruguay. At this moment, I think you deserve this opportunity more than he does."

 

"Wow. Cheers, mate. I'll try not to let you down this time."

 

Burke said, "Not a problem, Harry. See you later."

 

Kane got up from his seat, and then quickly glanced at the television screen.

 

Abdo was now reporting on FIFA TV that Juande Ramos was set to be appointed as Spain's head coach. The former Tottenham and current Lazio manager was in line to replace Julen Lopetegui, who had resigned after La Furia Roja failed to get past the Last 16. Legendary players Andrés Iniesta and Sergio Ramos were both said to be considering their international futures.

 

"I can't believe it!" Kane gasped. "I didn't know Jennifer Lopez did the news now!"

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***

 

Not in nearly three decades had an England men's football team ever been this close to a FIFA World Cup Final. There was an enormous sense of excitement amongst those English fans who descended on Moscow on 10 July 2018, for what they hoped would be an unforgettable night.

 

England had already won three matches in Moscow at this World Cup, defeating Costa Rica, Uruguay and Switzerland at the Luzhniki. Now they would travel to the north of Russia's capital to play at the Luzhniki's younger and smaller cousin - the 46,990-capacity Otkritie Arena, which was built in 2014 to house Russian Premier League giants Spartak Moscow.

 

Awaiting Mark Catterall and his pride of proud Lions were Belgium's Red Devils. Having brought together perhaps the most exciting group of footballers in Europe, Belgium were now on the cusp of a first-ever World Cup Final - an incredible feat when one considered that they'd gone over a decade without qualifying for a major tournament until 2014.

 

Spanish head coach Roberto Martínez and his Gateshead-born assistant Graeme Jones had a vast amount of depth in their Belgium squad. That was certainly evident up front, where Romelu Lukaku had scored three goals in five starts. The 25-year-old target man, who'd recently joined Atlético Madrid in a £38million transfer from Everton, was now showing signs of fatigue, but Martínez had a like-for-like replacement in Chelsea's Michy Batshuayi.

 

Just behind Batshuayi would be the fearsome attacking midfield trio of Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Dries Mertens. Further back, 23-year-old ball-winning midfielder Leander Dendoncker would help to protect a backline that included two of his new Manchester City team-mates - Jason Denayer and captain Vincent Kompany.

 

Belgium's run to the Semi Finals had seen them concede just one goal and knock out the likes of the Netherlands and Argentina. Catterall knew that the Red Devils would be the toughest opponents his side had faced all tournament long. After all, only three teams had beaten England in their previous 25 matches under Catts' stewardship, and Belgium were one of them.

 

England's starting line-up for the Semi Final saw six changes from the side that had seen off Switzerland in the previous round. Centre-halves Phil Jones and John Stones were drafted in, as were midfielders Dele Alli and Adam Lallana, inside-forward Rolando Aarons, and striker Harry Kane. A few eyebrows were raised about Kane's selection, as the Tottenham Hotspur striker was in poor form, having not yet scored at this event.

 

Southampton forward Nathan Redmond - the Three Lions' two-goal hero against the Swiss - kept his place in the line-up. However, he was moved from the right flank to the left.

 

The second Semi Final - France vs Chile - would be very difficult to call, but this match was arguably even more unpredictable. As former West Germany striker Jürgen Klinsmann said while on punditry duties for the BBC, "This could almost be a Final. Both teams look like they can be champions."

 

Klinsmann was an opposing player in England's most recent World Cup Semi Final - a 1-1 draw against the Germans in Turin in 1990. That match was perhaps best remembered for England's enigmatic midfielder Paul Gascoigne bursting into tears after receiving the yellow card that would have suspended him from the Final. Sadly, that did not materialise for the Three Lions, as misses from Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle in the subsequent penalty shoot-out began the long-standing English detestation of spot-kicks.

 

Penalties were still on the table in Moscow, but there would be no repeat of Gazza's tears. FIFA now had a yellow-card 'amnesty' in place after the Quarter Finals, which meant players who were carrying bookings before the Semis and then picked up another yellow card there would still be able to compete in the Final. That was good news for the four England players - including captain Jordan Henderson - who had previously received cautions at this tournament.

 

It had been almost customary for England to start every match with an early attack. This time around, the roles were reversed, and the Three Lions found themselves on the back foot almost immediately.

 

In the second minute, Belgium left-back Corentin Fiore intercepted an attempted lob from Kane and saw the ball bounce to Batshuayi just short of the halfway line. Batshuayi dribbled past a couple of English defenders before moving the ball out to the left flank, where Hazard surged past Nathaniel Clyne and got in a great shooting position.

 

Instead of going for goal himself, Hazard selflessly weighted a square ball to De Bruyne, who met it with a stunning volley that left Hart helpless. The ginger-haired Manchester City midfielder's 20th international goal had drawn first blood for Belgium.

 

The Red Devils looked even more dangerous in the third minute, when Batshuayi snuck behind the England defence to collect a long through-ball from Dendoncker. Batshuayi had a great opening, but the 24-year-old striker - who'd spent the previous season on loan at La Liga side Málaga - saw his powerful strike palmed over the bar by Hart.

 

England's first attack came from the resultant corner by Mertens, with John Stones' interception kicking off a breakaway. Kane capped off the move with an incisive pass to Aarons, who screwed it disappointingly wide.

 

England's other wideman Redmond hit a more dangerous strike in the seventh minute, giving Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois his first real test of the night. Courtois would be called upon again three minutes later, catching a drive from Kane, whose wait for his first World Cup goal continued.

 

Belgium then produced some free-flowing passing football in the build-up to their next scoring attempt in the 15th minute. Hazard had his initial shot blocked by Clyne, though his follow-up was caught by Hart, who then turned behind a volley from Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan in the 18th minute.

 

As play continued to switch from end to end, England's discipline started to become a real problem for Catterall. Singaporean referee Nicholas Lim issued yellow cards to left-back Luke Shaw and playmaker Dele Alli in the 20th and 28th minutes for their respective fouls on Mertens and Batshuayi.

 

In contrast to their opponents, the Red Devils were looking cooler and more composed. A well-paced counter-attack on 35 minutes resulted in midfielder Dendoncker - making just his 10th international appearance - almost beating Hart for what would've been his maiden goal in a Belgium jersey.

 

Belgium went close again in injury time, with Hazard putting a free-kick narrowly over the bar after Clyne upended Batshuayi in the England 'D'. Clyne and his compatriots were somewhat relieved to hear the half-time whistle when they were still only trailing by a single goal. Nevertheless, they still had an awful lot of work ahead of them.

 

Catterall switched to a 4-3-1-2 formation before the second half, and replaced Aarons and Redmond with Danny Drinkwater and Daniel Sturridge. England were clearly not going to outclass the might Belgians on the flanks, but they could at least try to outnumber them in the middle of the park and take control from there.

 

Catterall would have a reason for concern in the 48th minute, when his captain Henderson tripped Belgium right-back Thomas Meunier on the touchline. Henderson received a yellow card from Lim, which would've seen him banned from the Final under FIFA's old disciplinary rules.

 

This was Henderson's 50th cap for England, and the 28-year-old Liverpool midfielder could not have picked a much bigger occasion on which to score his second international goal. However, the latter landmark would have to wait, as he lifted a long-distance free-kick over Courtois' crossbar in the 49th minute.

 

England next attempted to push forward on 52 minutes, but Sturridge's run was halted by a tackle from De Bruyne, of all people. Belgium then calmly passed the ball up their half before Dendoncker's crossfield ball from the halfway line cleared the opposing defence.

 

Stones and Jones were two pacey centre-halves, but neither Englishman could catch up with Batshuayi, who ran onto Dendoncker's pass and hammered it beyond Hart's reach. Batshuayi then wheeled away to celebrate Belgium's second goal - the goal that many thought would effectively seal their place in the Final.

 

A previous England team might've waved the white flag at that stage, but Catterall's Three Lions were rather more resilient. Two minutes after falling 2-0 behind, they halved their deficit with a superb counterstrike. Kane sprung the Belgian offside trap to fire substitute Sturridge's pass into the net and finally break his World Cup duck.

 

That one goal from Kane was all it took to turn the tide. The Three Lions had a couple of promising attempts to score again within the next three minutes, but Henderson sent a free-kick over the bar before Kane's half-volley was pushed clear by Courtois.

 

Catterall showed his intent in the 58th minute, making his third and final substitution early. Henderson was on a booking and growing increasingly weary, so the manager threw on Eric Dier as a replacement ball-winning midfielder.

 

Martínez had already used up one substitution by then, with Yannick Carrasco replacing Mertens in the Belgian attack. The Spaniard would play his final two cards by the 66th minute, sending midfielder Mousa Dembélé and defender Jan Vertonghen on to take over from Dendoncker and Fiore.

 

Even with those changes, it was becoming increasingly clear that England's players were fitter than their Belgian counterparts. With their fresher legs, they pushed again for an equaliser in the 69th minute. Lallana played Clyne's cross to Kane in the box, but the striker was shown onto his weaker left foot by Vertonghen and could only hook the ball into Courtois' hands.

 

On 70 minutes, Shaw's cross into the Belgium box was intercepted by De Bruyne. However, De Bruyne's lack of defensive savvy became apparent when Alli intercepted his clearance and knocked it down to Lallana. Lallana's attempted half-volley took a slight cannon off Denayer and deflected to Kane, who beat Courtois for a second time and restored equilibrium for the Three Lions.

 

Having done all the hard work in coming back from 2-0 down to level at 2-2, England then took their feet off the pedals. Hazard fired a warning shot at the Three Lions in the 74th minute before Batshuayi wasted a couple more meaningful chances for the Red Devils.

 

English hearts were in mouths in the 81st minute, when Vertonghen aimed a left-wing cross to Batshuayi's head. Belgium fans must've thought that their moment had come until an unflapped Hart comfortably secured the header.

 

The closing minutes of regulation time would also see a spate of missed chances at the other end for Sturridge. His first big opportunity rippled the side netting on 84 minutes. Six minutes later, Kompany's decision to push up allowed Lallana to knock the ball past the Belgian skipper and find Sturridge, whose attempt to chip Courtois did not fool the Chelsea keeper.

 

When Dembélé hacked Lallana down deep in injury time, England found themselves with one last opportunity to win the game in the 90 minutes. Drinkwater's chipped free-kick was intercepted by a Batshuayi header, but Drinkwater reclaimed the ball and centred it to Alli, who then found Dier prowling on the edge of the 'D'.

 

Dier struck the ball with real venom, prompting thousands of England fans to rise expectantly from their seats. This was potentially the biggest shot taken by an English footballer in over five decades... but an incredible fingertip save by Courtois denied Dier the screamer that would've fired his team to the World Cup Final.

 

The full-time whistle blew just moments later. England 2, Belgium 2. At least an extra half-hour would be needed to separate these two top-class teams.

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***

 

The first 90 minutes of the first FIFA World Cup Semi Final had been exhausting for both England and Belgium. They now had about five minutes to regroup before they got back to work for an extra 30 minutes, if not longer still.

 

Having seen his team recover from a 2-0 deficit, England manager Mark Catterall was in a buoyant mood as he called the Three Lions players over to the touchline.

 

"Good work, lads," Catterall began. "You've proven a lot of people wrong by coming back from that. You've got all the momentum now; it's your Final to win!

 

Assistant manager Michael Burke added, "Just look over there! Look at the Belgians! They're bloody knackered! You did that! You made them work harder than they've ever worked before, and they're struggling to cope with it!"

 

Catterall continued, "Yes, they don't look like they can last another half-hour? Can you?"

 

Central defender Phil Jones growled, "We'd play another 90 minutes if we had to!"

 

Harry Kane was just as confident. "I'm proper buzzing, mate. I've got two goals, y'know, and I think I can go back out there and get another!"

 

"That's the spirit, lads!" Catterall roared. "We've put those Belgians on the back foot! Now let's f***ing finish them!"

 

The England players cheered and clapped before returning to the pitch. Their body language couldn't have been in starker contrast to that of their opponents, who looked rather wearier as they prepared to resume play.

 

England set out to make their greater fitness count as soon as the first of 30 additional minutes got underway. Left-back Luke Shaw showed his intent with a deep cross that drew Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois into a theatrical diving save.

 

Courtois would have to make a more meaningful save in the 94th minute. Shaw crossed to Daniel Sturridge on the edge of Belgium's penalty area. Sturridge then sidefooted a first-time pass to Dele Alli, whose strike was caught by Courtois.

 

England showed their tenacity again on 98 minutes. After coming under pressure from Shaw deep in England's half, Eden Hazard was forced to pass the ball back to Jan Vertonghen, who was then closed down by a composed slide tackle from Sturridge.

 

England's only man in the Belgian half was Kane, who was just ahead of Jason Denayer and only had Courtois to beat. Sturridge tested Denayer's knowledge of the offside trap with a long lob to Kane, who raced away before being forced onto the right flank by the last defender.

 

When Kane rode past a slide tackle from Denayer, it seemed that it was only a matter of when he found a team-mate with a killer pass. Sadly for England fans, Kane had chosen the wrong time to cross, as his attempted square ball to Alli deflected off Denayer's side and fell to the feet of Belgian forward Yannick Carrasco.

 

Now it was Belgium's turn to hit their opponents on the counter. Carrasco sought out Hazard, whose run towards goal resulted in him unleashing a shot that took an unfortunate deflection off team-mate Michy Batshuayi and went behind. Goal kick to England.

 

Hazard cursed at Batshuayi for blocking his path to goal, but the Belgian pair would be all smiles in the 101st minute. Hazard surged clear of England right-back Nathaniel Clyne to latch onto Vertonghen's weighted ball up the left flank. The Paris Saint-Germain megastar then crossed to the near post, where former Chelsea team-mate Batshuayi timed his run perfectly to lash in a devastating volley.

 

Batshuayi's second goal of a thrilling evening had made it 3-2 to Belgium. England's 'bouncebackability' - as famously coined by Iain 'Samuel Johnson' Dowie - was now facing its most severe test to date.

 

Another Belgium goal would surely have been the end for England's hopes. That made Jones' 104th-minute interception from a powerful Carrasco volley especially important for the Three Lions, who went into the final quarter-hour of the match still only needing one goal to save their skins.

 

The second half of extra-time would be a nervy affair for both teams. The opening six minutes saw England and Belgium rack up two corners apiece, though neither side could create the moment of magic that would have either saved the game or killed it off.

 

England striker Kane's two goals in the second half of normal time had got his team this far, but now his energy was almost spent. The tiring Tottenham Hotspur frontman collected a searching ball from Adam Lallana in the 114th minute, only to be caught offside by Belgium's cunning defence as well as the assistant referee.

 

Another Tottenham player went for an equaliser in the 115th minute. Midfield substitute Eric Dier, who could have easily won the match prior to extra-time, had a go from 25 yards out after controlling a delicate chip from Lallana. Unfortunately for him, Courtois was once again on hand to save the Red Devils.

 

England's next opportunity came in the subsequent minute, with Kane playing a free-kick out right to Clyne. The Liverpool full-back's suspect positioning had played a significant role in allowing Belgium to retake the lead, but Clyne wasted a fine opportunity to redeem himself, firing a tame shot into the side netting.

 

With less than two minutes to go until their fate was sealed, England played one final card. Lallana instinctively decided to drill the ball towards goal from all of 35 yards, but he couldn't quite catch Courtois out. A quick reaction save from Courtois kept Belgium on track for a historic victory.

 

After two final England corners failed to yield any goals, Belgium finished their opponents off by winning one of their own in the dying moments. Dier's headed interception from De Bruyne's delivery would be the last moment of a pulsating FIFA World Cup Semi Final that had lasted two hours.

 

Referee Nicholas Lim's final whistle sent Belgium's players and coaches into ecstasy. The Red Devils, managed by former Wigan Athletic and Everton boss Roberto Martínez, had qualified for a World Cup Final for the very first time.

 

The mood in the England camp was very different. The Three Lions had given pretty much everything they could give, yet it hadn't been enough to end over 50 years of hurt. Their wait for another major trophy would continue for at least another couple of years.

 

10 July 2018: FIFA World Cup Semi Final - at Otkritie Arena, Moscow

England - 2 (Harry Kane 54,70)

Belgium - 3 (Kevin De Bruyne 2, Michy Batshuayi 52,101)

[after extra time]

ENGLAND LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Joe Hart; Nathaniel Clyne, Phil Jones, John Stones, Luke Shaw; Jordan Henderson (Eric Dier), Dele Alli; Rolando Aarons (Danny Drinkwater), Adam Lallana, Nathan Redmond (Daniel Sturridge); Harry Kane. BOOKED: Shaw 20, Alli 28, Henderson 48.

 

The England dressing room was full of disconsolate players minutes after the final whistle. Just like their predecessors from 1990, the class of 2018 had fallen short at the penultimate hurdle, and exited the World Cup with a bang rather than the usual whimper.

 

Mark Catterall surveyed the room, struggling to find the words to reassure his charges. He then let out a reluctant sigh and began, "What can I say? There really is not much to say when you get so close, only for it to count for nothing."

 

Catterall then turned to his right-hand man Burke, who said, "To tell you the truth, lads, we never expected you to go all the way. The Quarter Final was our main target; anything after that was a bonus. Getting to the Semi Finals of the first major tournament in this new era... it's an incredible achievement.

 

"Belgium threw everything at you tonight, and you threw everything back at them. It weren't quite enough, but at least you went down with your heads held up high. You restored honour to the England shirt. This team is now a beacon of national pride, not a source of national embarrassment.

 

"On behalf of me, Mark, Ray, Glenn, David, and all those England fans here in Moscow and back home... thank you. We're all proud of you, so very proud."

 

After the players applauded Burke's speech, Catterall stepped forward once again to stress, "This is just a comma, not a full stop, and there will be greater opportunities to win trophies in the future.

 

"In the meantime, I'd just like to ask you to refocus your minds one more time. We've still got a 3rd-Place Play-Off to get through, and I would love it if you're flying home next week with medals around your necks."

 

The pride shown by Catterall and Burke in the dressing room was not displayed by Alan Shearer in the BBC studio. The former England striker said, "I'm feeling so frustrated and disappointed right now. England showed tremendous spirit to battle back from the brink in the second half, but extra-time was just a complete, total let-down.

 

"After 90 minutes, me and Jürgen were both saying that England were looking the fresher team; they were looking like they could go on and take the initiative in extra-time. They didn't actually do that. They were just trying to force the issue, while Belgium were patiently biding their time and waiting for their time to pounce.

 

"If you are ever going to win a major tournament, you will have to be a lot more cunning, and take chances whenever they come around. More importantly, you shouldn't leave your defence so open against a team with as much attacking quality as Belgium. It's just asking for trouble."

 

Jürgen Klinsmann was more willing to praise the Three Lions, saying, "It was a fantastic match, probably a World Cup classic. England may have lost, but it took a Belgium team at their very best to beat them, so they can still be extremely proud.

 

"A month ago, we were all looking at England like, 'They have no chance. They always collapse under pressure.' We don't think that about England any more.

 

"They are real fighters; they are not afraid to attack the big teams when things get difficult. In that way, Mark Catterall's England team are like Bobby Robson's team from 1990. I'm sure you will agree with that, Gary."

 

BBC presenter Gary Lineker was the main goal-getter in that Italia '90 team. He agreed, "Yeah, I'd say it's definitely the most resilient England team I've seen since I was playing nearly three decades ago.

 

"Let's hope that this is a sign of things to come. Who knows, maybe they'll go one better at Euro 2020? England playing in a European Championship Final at Wembley; that would be a moment to make the spine tingle.

 

"Now, Adnan Januzaj, let's talk about Belgium for a moment. Are you delighted to see them fulfil their exceptional potential and make it through to the World Cup Final?"

 

Manchester United reserve-team winger Januzaj had played for Belgium at the 2014 World Cup, and was an occasional member of the BBC's punditry team for this event. The Brussels-born 23-year-old temporarily stopped fiddling with his phone to respond to Lineker's question with a simple, "Yes, I am happy."

 

Lineker asked a follow-up question, "Let's have a look at the third Belgian goal - the match-winner. We were saying before kick-off that Belgium might struggle without Romelu Lukaku, but Batshuayi showed there that he could lead the line just as forcefully. What did you make of that finish from Hazard's cross?"

 

Januzaj slouched in his seat and replied, "Yeah, it was a good goal."

 

"Maybe your United team-mate Phil Jones could have done a better job of marking Batshuayi, though. Could he have got closer to him?"

 

Januzaj shrugged nonchalantly, "Maybe. He was not so good today."

 

Lineker quipped, "You're a man of many words, aren't you, Adnan? Can't you just rein it in a little bit? Goodness me, you could give poor ol' Chris Sutton a run for his money!"

 

England's opponents for the 3rd-Place Play-Off would be decided 24 hours later, when France took on Chile at the Luzhniki stadium. A solitary goal from Paul Pogba proved enough to send France through to the Final on 15 July, when they would hope to end Belgium's dream run and secure their second World Cup triumph.

 

Before then, though, England would have to face Chile - for the second time in a matter of weeks. Their previous meeting at Wembley, shortly before the World Cup finals, had simply been for pride. The rematch would see the victors take home the bronze medals.

 

2018 FIFA World Cup Semi Final Results

England 2-3 Belgium (aet)

France 1-0 Chile

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So close and yet so far.

I'm starting a story based on a Chelsea save I started (Winchester City one is on hiatus due to many real life players - including the left back who's getting a testimonial at the end of the season - being omitted). I'm currently working on the manager's playing career (Chelsea, 2001-2012) but I don't want it to ramble too much.

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On 1/20/2018 at 12:21, Drogba11CFC said:

So close and yet so far.

I'm starting a story based on a Chelsea save I started (Winchester City one is on hiatus due to many real life players - including the left back who's getting a testimonial at the end of the season - being omitted). I'm currently working on the manager's playing career (Chelsea, 2001-2012) but I don't want it to ramble too much.

Indeed. :(

I look forward to reading your story, even if it is a Chelski career. :D

Apologies for the lack of updates since Thursday, everyone. I was quite ill at the back end of last week, and I still had some material to write up, so that wasn't an ideal situation. I'm feeling a lot better now and have got back into the swing of things, so the next update will be along very shortly.

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***

 

The morning after the night before. England's players and coaches had gathered at the restaurant in their Moscow hotel for breakfast. Most of them were in a disappointed but reflective mood following the 3-2 defeat to Belgium in the FIFA World Cup Semi Final.

 

Mark Catterall and two of his most senior coaches - assistant manager Michael Burke and tactics coach Glenn Hoddle - sat down together at one table. As per usual, the manager helped himself to a couple of slices of black toast. Burke had cereal, while Hoddle preferred a 'full English'.

 

While tucking into his toast, Catterall used his iPad to review the front pages of the British newspapers, which had been emailed to him by the Football Association's communications chief Ava Leggett.

 

The Daily Mirror's front-page headline of "BAT'S OUR LOT" referenced Belgium striker Michy Batshuayi, whose extra-time winner had crushed English dreams of a first World Cup triumph since 1966. The Sun - a red-top rival of The Mirror - also worked Batshuayi's name into a punny headline, saying that his performance was "TOO MICH" for the Three Lions to handle.

 

The Times's headline read, "Valiant Lions beaten but not bowed", though The Guardian were slightly more critical, saying, "England fluff their lines in extra-time as Belgium battle into Final". The Daily Mail's front page featured a photograph of a crestfallen Harry Kane, whose two goals were not enough to send England through, and the words, "Heartbreak for Harry: England fall short".

 

Burke looked across Catterall's shoulder and asked, "A mixed bag, is it?"

 

"They're mostly satisfied," Catterall said. "As you said to the lads last night, we weren't expected to get this far. The media always hyped us up every tournament, and we always failed. They'd all but given up hope this year, but we surprised them, didn't we?"

 

Burke smiled, "Yes, we did. But just imagine what headlines they would've written if we'd won."

 

Burke pointed to the photo of Kane on Mail's front page and continued, "That could've been Eric Dier's beaming face there if he'd taken that chance in the last few seconds of normal time."

 

Hoddle replied, "Don't go thinking about what-ifs, Michael. Everything happens for a reason, and I'm sure we'll get our rewards later. Whether it's in this life or the next, we just don't know yet."

 

Burke sneered, "You don't actually believe that crap, do you, Hoddle?"

 

"I'm just saying that our time will come later. We've got a good group of players here, and their best years could be ahead of them, for all we know."

 

Catterall then read through an online article from The Guardian on his iPad. Their reporter Adrian Pike had been very critical of goalkeeper Joe Hart, saying, "On the biggest nights of his career, Gordon Banks stepped up to the place and produced some of the best goalkeeping displays ever witnessed on the global stage. In contrast, Hart wilted under the pressure and badly let his country down, just when we depended on him most.

 

"Questions must surely be asked about whether Hart should continue to don the gloves in future tournaments, especially if he fails to hold down a starting place at Manchester City. There is perhaps a strong case for Stoke City's Jack Butland - who is six years younger, is arguably more consistent, and has significantly less baggage - to take the number 1 jersey instead."

 

Catterall shook his head and said, "I usually have a lot of time for The Guardian, but they're having a right go at Hart here."

 

"Yeah, I think they're being very harsh on him, to be honest," Burke replied. "Yes, Joe conceded three goals last night, but he weren't at fault for any of them."

 

"No, I felt Hart did alright, to be fair. It wasn't as if he played like Paul Robinson against Croatia, or Scott Carson against Croatia..."

 

"...or David James against any team with a striker who knows what a net is."

 

Hoddle joined in the conversation, "I was talking to this Tim fella last night. You know Tim? The Brummie guy who hangs around with the goalkeepers all the time?"

 

"Ah, you mean Tim Flowers," Catterall said. "Our goalkeeping coach."

 

Hoddle raised his eyebrows. "Really? I thought he was, you know, Joe Hart's dad or something! Anyway, the bloke was saying that we should play Fraser Forster in goal for the 3rd Place Play-Off."

 

"He has a point, Catts," Burke said. "All the outfielders have had a go at some point, and Butland played against Georgia, didn't he? Forster's the only lad in the squad who ain't played a game yet."

 

Catterall nodded, "I was thinking that, to be honest. Tim's been saying all week how hard Fraser's been working in training. He deserves some gametime before we go back home."

 

As Catterall finished his sentence, defensive coach Ray Wilkins walked up to the coaches' table, all suited and booted.

 

"Blimey, Butch," Burke gasped. "You look ready to go home already! We've still got another - what is it - five or six days!"

 

Catterall asked, "What's up, Ray? You're not leaving us already, are you?"

 

Wilkins sighed, "Yeah, fellas. I'm afraid something's come up. Family emergency."

 

"Oh my. What happened?"

 

"It's my little brother - Dean. He was in a nasty accident last night and is in a pretty bad way. His son said that he's not critical or nothing like that, but you never know what could happen down the line. So yeah, I'm going back home as early as I can. My flight leaves at 11 o'clock."

 

Hoddle gasped, "Jesus, Butch - that's not good news, mate. Send my regards to Dean for me."

 

Burke nodded, "Same for me as well. None of us will mind if you need to go home early. Your family matters more than anything."

 

Catterall said, "Yeah, like Mick says, family comes first. So I guess this is it for your work with the England team?"

 

"Yeah, that's my lot," Wilkins sighed. "I promised the missus I'd jack it in after the World Cup, and I'm not changing my mind. I'm done with coaching now."

 

Catterall stood up from his seat and approached Wilkins to say, "Ray, it's been a pleasure working alongside you these past two years. All the best for your retirement, and wish Dean a speedy recovery for me."

 

"Thanks, Mark," Wilkins nodded, his voice now cracking with emotion. "I've enjoyed every minute of this adventure with you lot. You're all great young coaches and great young men. Even you, young Glenn. I'm so proud to leave the England set-up in such capable hands."

 

Catterall shook hands with Wilkins and told him, "Thank you for everything you've done for us, Butch. Goodbye, and good luck."

 

The other coaches also said their farewells to Wilkins, followed by most of the players. The man who'd won his first England cap in 1976, and captained his country at the 1986 World Cup, had brought to an end an illustrious 45-year career in professional football. His passion, personality and experience would be deeply missed by the Three Lions - not just for the 3rd Place Play-Off, but for subsequent competitions.

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19 hours ago, Diego Imposta said:

My commiserations, CFuller. It's an excellent read and I hope the story continues. Would Catts come up with an ascension plan for the Euros?

This story will indeed continue. I'm going to finish the World Cup up over the coming days, and then post up the European Under-19s Championship next week. Beyond that, though, I'm not yet sure when I'll start posting the third season. Rest assured, there is more to come.

I'm not sure what you mean by an 'ascension plan', Diego. I presume that you mean, "How does Catts plan to build a team capable of winning Euro 2020?" I'm sure he'll answer that sooner rather than later...

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***

 

England had made it into the closing weekend of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, though their seventh and final match took place 24 hours before they perhaps would've liked. Instead of doing battle with France for the trophy on Sunday night, they would be squabbling with Chile over 3rd and 4th place on Saturday.

 

This was the second time that England had battled for bronze at a World Cup. The last time they were in this situation was in 1990, when a memorable tournament culminated in a spirited 2-1 defeat to host nation Italy. The Three Lions hadn't been particularly close to finishing in the top three at a major tournament since.

 

Following the disappointment of losing their Semi Final to Belgium in extra-time, England's players were physically and mentally spent. When manager Mark Catterall came to announce his starting line-up for the Chile game, he prioritised those players who hadn't featured against the Red Devils and those who had recovered from that match quicker than others.

 

Only one member of England's 23-man squad hadn't yet played any part in this World Cup. Catterall felt it was only right, then, to repay Southampton's Fraser Forster for his patience and start him in goal. There were also appearances for young wingers Demarai Gray and Rolando Aarons, both of whom started for just the second time at this event.

 

The England team arrived at the Otkritie Arena about an hour before kick-off. Before he and his players stepped off the team coach, he took some time to address his charges.

 

"Here we are, lads," Catterall announced. "It's not exactly where we wanted to be, but we have an opportunity to redeem ourselves tonight? Are you ready?"

 

Defender Michael Keane confidently nodded, "I was born ready. I'm not leaving Russia without a medal."

 

"Neither am I," captain Jordan Henderson declared. "We didn't come all this way and work so hard just to get nothing in return."

 

"Marvellous," Catterall smiled. "Now off you pop. We've got a job to do."

 

The England players headed off to the dressing room to get changed, before stepping onto the pitch for some warm-up exercises. Once they had completed their warm-up, most headed back to the dressing room. However, Catterall decided to hold Aarons back for a bit longer.

 

"Rolando, can I have a word?" Catterall sternly addressed the Newcastle United forward as the other players headed back down the tunnel.

 

Aarons walked over anxiously, feeling a little bit like a schoolboy who was about to be scolded by their headteacher. Instead, Catterall asked him gently, "What's up, son? You don't look yourself right now."

 

Aarons replied sheepishly, "I'm just feeling... a little nervous, you know. I've not played in such a big game before."

 

"Of course, you have," Catterall chuckled. "How many goals did you score in the Premier League last season?"

 

"11... I think. I remember getting a couple against Chelsea, for sure."

 

"There you go. And what about the Quarter Final against Switzerland, at the Luzhniki? You scored there, didn't you?"

 

"Yeah, I did," Aarons smiled.

 

"So think about that when you're playing tonight. And if things get a bit tough out there, then just imagine you're having a kickabout with your mates back home in Newcastle, or Bristol."

 

"I will do," Aarons nodded. "Cheers, gaffer."

 

Aarons sprinted down the tunnel, with an extra spring in his step. Catterall was following him towards the England dressing room when striker Callum Wilson came outside and exclaimed, "You've got to sort this out, gaffer!"

 

Catterall replied, "Why? What's happened?"

 

"It's Gary! He's taken over the dressing room music, and a lot of the lads are hating it!"

 

Catterall sighed, "F***ing hell. I thought you were gonna say he'd turned into Stalin for a minute there!"

 

Catterall entered the dressing room, where he was greeted with the unmistakeable vocals of James Dean Bradfield screeching, "The masses against the classes! I'm tired of giving a reason, when the future is what we believe in! We love winter! It brings us closer together!"

 

"Thank f*** you're here!" Eric Dier screamed as he saw Catterall come inside. "Can you tell Cahill to TURN THIS F***ING S*** OFF!"

 

Gary Cahill was standing beside the team's hi-fi system, which was playing "The Masses Against The Classes" by Manic Street Preachers. Catterall approached Cahill and politely asked him, "Gary, can you please turn that down?"

 

"It's what the majority asked for," Cahill declared. "The people do not care for the capitalist blight you call hip-hop."

 

"Turn it off, please, comrade," Catterall stated sternly. Only then did Cahill oblige, pausing the song.

 

Attacking midfielder Jack Wilshere breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Finally! Now we can listen to our own music, on our own MP3 players, without Chairman Gary's crap going on in the background!"

 

Catterall saw a red CD case titled "NOW That's What I Call Socialism!" placed on the top of the hi-fi system. He reached for the case, only for Cahill to quickly snatch it and hold it close to his chest.

 

"Hand it over, comrade," Catterall sighed. Cahill duly surrendered the CD case, and Catterall looked at the back of it to read the track listing:

 

Quote

1. D:Ream - "Things Can Only Get Better"

2. Manic Street Preachers - "The Masses Against The Classes"

3. Killing Joke - "Love Like Blood"

4. Sex Pistols - "God Save The Queen"

5. The Stranglers - "No More Heroes"

6. British Sea Power - "Waving Flags"

7. Levellers - "What A Beautiful Day"

8. Tracy Chapman - "Talkin' 'Bout A Revolution"

9. Billy Bragg - "Between The Wars"

10. Tears For Fears - "Sowing The Seeds Of Love"

11. UB40 - "One In Ten"

12. Heaven 17 - "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang"

13. Carter USM - "Bloodsport For All"

14. Aqua - "Barbie Girl"

 

Catterall raised his eyebrows. "I had no idea 'Barbie Girl' was about socialism."

 

"It is a depiction of the abuse by the bourgeoisie of us humble proletariats in the capitalist cesspool otherwise known as the United States of America," Cahill growled.

 

Catterall scoffed, "To be honest, I'd rather listen to David Platt for 24 hours than have this Danish dog-s*** poison my ears." He then demanded, "Desist this crap immediately, and get your head right, or Chile will rip it clean off like a Barbie doll!"

 

Cahill said, "Affirmative. I shall personally put those Chilean dogs to sleep for their unforgivable treachery against Comrade Salvador Allende 45 years..."

 

"Okay, that's enough politics," Catterall interrupted. "Let's get down to business."

 

Catterall turned away from Cahill and walked into the middle of the dressing room, where he called out, "May I have your attention, lads?"

 

The room fell quiet, with some players hurriedly taking off their MP3 player headphones. The manager then continued, "I know some of you feel... uncomfortable around certain players, and uncomfortable with their beliefs. But now's not the time to let little disagreements spill over onto the pitch. It's now more important than ever that you are united, not divided.

 

"You've done yourselves real proud over the last few weeks. You've stayed strong whenever others have expected you to crumble. You fought with real grit and determination against Belgium, even though it was ultimately not enough to get us into the Final.

 

"Still, a 3rd Place Play-Off is better than nothing. The last time I went to a World Cup two decades ago, we were home before the postcards. The fact you have lasted this long is testament to your courage and your abilities."

 

Assistant boss Michael Burke then stood up from his seat and said, "Chile are one of the toughest, most talented teams in South America. In fact, they're the Copa América champions. You know all about their star players - [Claudio] Bravo, [Arturo] Vidal, [Alexis] Sánchez - and you know just how formidable they can be at either end of the pitch.

 

"But we held out against Brazil. We didn't buckle against Uruguay. Chile are another South American team that we shouldn't be fearing. They're just as disappointed that they didn't reach the Final as you are.

 

"So, lads... let's turn Tuesday's negative result into a positive, and show the world what we're capable of!"

 

Captain Jordan Henderson then stood to attention before roaring in his strong Wearside accent, "One more time, lads! Let's bring those medals home!"

 

A chorus of roars went up across the England dressing room. The Three Lions were raring to go.

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***

 

It was time for the 3rd Place Play-Off at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. When Jordan Henderson and Claudio Bravo led the England and Chile teams out onto the Otkritie Arena pitch, they knew that only one side would come away from an exhausting competition with some medals to show for their efforts.

 

Like England, Chile had felt the effects of a busy schedule over the last fortnight or so. La Roja had already come through two knockout matches on penalties before a 1-0 Semi Final defeat to France that left them out on their feet. In the 68th minute of that match, star striker Eduardo Vargas broke his leg in a hefty slide tackle from French defender Samuel Umtiti, thus bringing his tournament to a sad end.

 

Though they only had two days' rest between the Semi Final and the Play-Off, most of Chile's key men were ready to start again. Charles Aránguiz, Gary Medel, Alexis Sánchez and captain Bravo would all feature from the outset, though Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal was only fit enough for the bench.

 

With the big prize no longer available to them after defeats in the Semi Finals, both teams could lose their inhibitions and play some fluid and carefree football. That was great news for the 46,990 spectators who would witness one of Russia 2018's most thrilling matches.

 

In the fifth minute, England right-back Kyle Walker conceded two free-kicks in quick succession for tripping up Sánchez and then Aránguiz. The second of those free-kicks was curled just over the crossbar by Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Aránguiz.

 

Another five minutes passed before England had their first chance to open the scoring. Chelsea striker Callum Wilson got behind the Chilean backline to pick up an incisive lobbed pass from Jack Wilshere, which he then stroked calmly beyond the reach of Bravo. The Three Lions had drawn first blood in this play-off.

 

England looked like hitting La Roja on the counter again in the 15th minute, when young winger Demarai Gray dispossessed Aránguiz and played the ball ahead of Walker. The Tottenham Hotspur full-back ghosted past the last defender Gary Medel and could have driven in his first international goal, but he instead played in Wilshere, whose first-time strike was pushed away by Bravo.

 

Wilshere was coming to life, and a poorly-cleared corner from the Arsenal midfielder would cost Chile dear after 20 minutes. Wilson crossed the ball back into their six-yard box, where Gray nodded it across the goalmouth before fellow rising star Rolando Aarons volleyed in England's second goal.

 

England were firmly in control of the 3rd Place Play-Off, though Chile could've retaliated in the 22nd minute. Aránguiz drifted a corner over to the head of centre-back Enzo Roco, whose attempt at goal was caught by Fraser Forster. The South Americans spurned another opportunity on 29 minutes, with Sánchez pulling striker Carlos Muñoz's pass just beyond the far post.

 

England went agonisingly to moving 3-0 up after 32 minutes. Gray picked out Wilson, who surged forward and looked set to double his tally until Bravo clawed the ball behind just in time.

 

Three minutes after that narrow escape, Chile gave themselves a lifeline with a flowing passing move towards the England goal. Muñoz played the killer ball ahead of Universidad Católica winger Diego Rojas, who got past Gary Cahill and drilled in just his second goal for La Roja.

 

Chile were back in contention, but left-back Eugenio Mena then shot his team-mates in the feet after 42 minutes by blocking an Aarons corner with his hand. Referee Wílmar Alexander Roldán from Colombia pointed to the penalty spot, where Wilshere had the chance to make it 3-1 to England. It wasn't to be, however, as Bravo read the spot-kick perfectly and kept the Three Lions' lead down to a single goal.

 

La Roja would make the most of their second chance by equalising in the stroke of half-time. A redeemed Mena played a clever ball ahead of Sánchez, whose defence-opening pass was finished by Rojas for 2-2. England centre-back Michael Keane took most of the blame for that goal and would be substituted in favour of his Manchester City team-mate John Stones during the interval.

 

For England, this was a role reversal of their Semi Final, where they had recovered from 2-0 down to level at 2-2, only for Belgium to regain their lead and secure victory. Catterall's charges would take plenty of inspiration from their conquerors when the second half got underway.

 

A positive start to the second period saw England move 3-2 up within two minutes. Aarons' low cross from the right bypassed Mena, and Wilshere powered it home to banish the memories of his earlier penalty miss.

 

Wilshere's new-found confidence would be evident again in the 52nd minute. Cahill halted a Chilean attack by tackling Sánchez and hitting the ball forward to Wilson, who held it up on the halfway line. Wilson waited for the overlapping run of Wilshere, who latched onto his pass and glided past Roco to leave himself with just Bravo to beat. Spotting that the goalkeeper was off his goal line, the 26-year-old lobbed the veteran Chile skipper from 20 yards out.

 

England were 4-2 ahead, and Wilshere was chasing a second-half hat-trick. Chile's substitute midfielder Marcelo Díaz denied him his first chance to secure the match ball after 55 minutes by blocking his free-kick in a wall of red shirts.

 

Catterall later decided that it was time to take off captain Jordan Henderson, who'd run himself into the ground after a gruelling tournament. Cahill would skipper the Three Lions for the last half-hour of their World Cup, with Eric Dier coming on for his sixth appearance at this World Cup - a feat matched by Wilshere, Danny Drinkwater and Dele Alli.

 

It didn't look like Wilshere's haul of four goals would be matched by any of his compatriots - at least not until Aarons made it 5-2 after 65 minutes. The Newcastle United winger beat Mena to a first-time pass from Wilson and smashed it past Bravo for his second goal of the night, and his third of the tournament. The 22-year-old now had a real chance of catching Wilshere, providing he sealed his hat-trick before the Arsenal man could complete his.

 

A selfless Wilshere provided Aarons with a golden chance to secure the match ball in the 66th minute. Aarons seemed to be fully aware of what was potentially lying ahead, as blasted his colleague's through-ball well over the crossbar.

 

No England player had scored a hat-trick at a World Cup since Gary Lineker put three goals past Poland in 1986. The wait for a repeat performance from the Three Lions would be extended to 36 years, as Wilshere put a free-kick over in the 74th minute, and Bravo saved Aarons' final opportunity in the 90th.

 

Chile had gone close to grabbing a third goal through Sánchez in the 80th minute, but any hope they had of getting back into the contest would soon be extinguished. Predictably, it was 'man of the match' Wilshere who completed an emphatic win for England by setting up their SIXTH goal in injury time.

 

Wilshere capped off a virtuoso performance by squaring the ball to substitute striker Daniel Sturridge, who had one final opportunity to notch up a goal at this tournament. The 28-year-old Liverpool frontman could not have struck it any better, firing a rocket past Bravo.

 

Sturridge's 20th goal for the Three Lions was the perfect ending for Catterall and company. England had destroyed Chile 6-2, thus ensuring that they would receive the bronze medals and return home as the 3rd-best team in world football. In doing so, the men had matched the performance of the England women's team at their most recent World Cup in Canada three years earlier.

 

Following the humiliation of exiting the 2014 World Cup without a single victory, and their shock elimination from UEFA Euro 2016 at the hands of Iceland, England had roared back in style.

 

14 July 2018: FIFA World Cup 3rd Place Play-Off - at Otkritie Arena, Moscow

Chile - 2 (Diego Rojas 35,45+1)

England - 6 (Callum Wilson 10, Rolando Aarons 20,65, Jack Wilshere 47,52, Daniel Sturridge 90+1)

ENGLAND LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Fraser Forster; Kyle Walker, Gary Cahill, Michael Keane (John Stones), Danny Rose; Danny Drinkwater, Jordan Henderson (Eric Dier); Rolando Aarons, Jack Wilshere, Demarai Gray; Callum Wilson (Daniel Sturridge). BOOKED: Rose 79.

 

Speaking in the ITV studio after that win, Ian Wright said, "I'm so immensely proud of what these lads have done over the past five weeks, and to be honest, I think they've saved their best for last. Chile ain't a bad team at all, but we ripped them to pieces like they were... like they were Scotland!

 

"Jack Wilshere ran the show out there for me. He ran rings around them Chilean defenders all night long, creating chance after chance. It could've gone a bit south for Jack after he'd missed that penalty, but to be fair to him, he bounced back and got two goals in the second half.

 

"And Rolando Aarons, man... I think we've found our [Cristiano] Ronaldo. Rolando's skill and movement on the ball at times was just mesmerising, like nothing we've seen in an England shirt in years. He also got a couple of goals tonight, and I think there's a lot more to come from him over the next few years.

 

Gary Neville agreed. "15 months ago, Rolando Aarons wasn't even a regular starter for Newcastle United in the Championship. We always knew that he had the potential, but he needed to be given the freedom to show what he's capable of. David Wagner has given him that freedom at Newcastle, and now we're seeing that with England. He already looks so comfortable in an England shirt, and it's a sight that we're probably gonna get used to now.

 

"Talking of freedom, England showed just what they are capable of doing when the pressure's off. They took the game to Chile quickly, and once Wilson got that first goal, they were in control. Chile never got a moment's rest after that.

 

"You could argue that the defending from England tonight was a little suspect, especially from Michael Keane. That's probably understandable, because Ray Wilkins went home early for family reasons, and he's done an absolutely brilliant job making them a stronger, more cohesive unit. Butch is a wonderful, wonderful coach, and I think Mark will find him very difficult to replace."

 

Presenter Mark Pougatch then asked, "So, lads... that's the end of England's first major tournament under Mark Catterall. The big question now must be: can they win the Euros in two years' time?"

 

Wright nodded, "You have to think we can, and not just because we'll have home advantage for the Semis and the Final. We've got the ability, for sure, and we've got the strength in depth. Most important, though, is that the players now believe they can win. They know that they can go toe-to-toe with teams like Brazil, Uruguay and Chile and not look out of their depth.

 

"That's all down to Catts. He's instilled that belief in the players, and he's got them playing in a system that works for them. I don't remember the last time England had a manager who looks like he could win things."

 

Neville said, "We're not there yet, but we are certainly going in the right direction, in terms of contending for World Cups and European Championships. You can sense that Mark is building a team with a long-term goal in mind, and that's winning the World Cup in 2022.

 

"He took a huge gamble about six months ago by dropping Wayne Rooney and passing the leadership on to the new generation. That gamble has paid off, as Jordan Henderson has led the team superbly here in Russia. Players like John Stones, Jack Wilshere and Harry Kane are now stepping up to the mark on a regular basis. In four years' time, most of the guys in this England team will be in their prime, and I reckon they'll have a great chance of going all the way.

 

"It'll be tough, make no mistake. In terms of European nations, the likes of France, Germany and now Belgium have set an incredible standard. We have to strive to reach the same level as those elite teams, and I don't see any reason why Mark Catterall can't get us up there."

 

This had been England's best showing at a World Cup since 1966, when they lifted the Jules Rimet Trophy on home soil. Pretty much everyone in the country knew about Geoff Hurst's hat-trick in the Final against West Germany. That was the first hat-trick to be scored in a men's World Cup Final, and nobody else had done it since... until 15 June 2018.

 

The 21st World Cup Final was billed as a titanic battle between 1998 champions France and first-time finalists Belgium. The 81,000 people who crammed into the Luzhniki were hoping to see a close contest, but what they got was a pulsating end-to-end match where one team consistently failed to take chances, and the other team proved completely and utterly ruthless.

 

The tone was set in the 17th minute, when Eden Hazard's long ball over the top of the French defence was finished by Dries Mertens for a 1-0 lead to Belgium. The Napoli striker would take advantage of another incisive pass in the 43rd minute, nodding Leander Dendoncker's weighted ball over the head of the onrushing Stéphane Ruffier. That was a horrific error from the French goalkeeper, who had deputised for Hugo Lloris since Les Bleus' captain broke his wrist against Mexico in the Group Stage.

 

Magical Mertens would create history six minutes into the second half, when his tap-in from a centre by Christian Benteke made it 3-0 to Belgium. The 31-year-old therefore became only the third footballer - after Hurst in 1966 and United States women's captain Carli Lloyd in 2015 - to score three goals in a senior World Cup Final.

 

Mertens wasn't finished there. After watching France waste a host of opportunities to claw a goal back, he killed them off once and for all in the 84th minute. His assist for 21-year-old Anderlecht midfielder Youri Tielemans, who scored his first Belgium goal in the biggest match of them all, sealed a momentous 4-0 victory for the Red Devils. No World Cup Final had ever been won by such a wide margin.

 

Belgium were the new champions of global football. Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany, who would step down as captain of the Red Devils after this match, received the World Cup trophy from FIFA President Gianni Infantino and proudly held it aloft for all to see.

 

The Monday newspapers in Britain were quick to salute the Belgians. The headline on The Sun's front page read, "WIN TINTIN", while the Daily Mirror hailed a "RED REVOLUTION". The Daily Mail's back page was headlined, "11 FAMOUS BELGIANS: Everton flop leads Red Devils to top". One particularly smart aleck on Twitter later questioned whether the Mail's reporter had actually written that sub-heading five years ago and had saved it for whenever David Moyes won his first major trophy as manager of Manchester United.

 

Watching Belgium destroy France filled Catterall with an enormous sense of pride. England had arguably come the closest of the Red Devils' seven opponents to ending their title charge, and that narrow extra-time defeat in the Semi Final didn't hurt Catts quite so much now.

 

England's own run to glory had largely been down to team spirit rather than individual brilliance, so it perhaps wasn't that surprising that only one of their players - Jack Wilshere - had been named in the starting XI of the World Cup Dream Team. Wingers Demarai Gray and Nathan Redmond had also been named in the 23-man squad, which wasn't bad going for two players who were at their first major tournament.

 

Captain Jordan Henderson's stunning long-ranger against Costa Rica in England's second group game was voted as the second-best goal scored at the tournament. Sporting CP midfielder Adrien Silva's powerful bullet for Portugal against Japan topped the poll.

 

2018 FIFA World Cup 3rd Place Play-Off Result

Chile 2-6 England

 

2018 FIFA World Cup Final Result

Belgium 4-0 France

 

2018 FIFA World Cup Award Winners

Golden Ball: 1st - Paul Pogba (France). 2nd - Eden Hazard (Belgium). 3rd - Antoine Griezmann (France).

Golden Shoe: 1st - Thomas Müller (Germany, 6 goals). 2nd - Edinson Cavani (Uruguay, 6 goals). 3rd - Seydou Doumbia (Ivory Coast, 5 goals).

Yashin Award: Thibaut Courtois (Belgium).

Best Young Player: Ousmane Dembélé (France).

Goal of the Tournament: 1st - Adrien Silva (Portugal, vs Japan - Group Stage). 2nd - Jordan Henderson (England, vs Costa Rica - Group Stage). 3rd - Luis Suárez (Uruguay, vs Ivory Coast - Group Stage).

 

Dream Team: Thibaut Courtois (Belgium); Thomas Meunier (Belgium), Thiago Silva (Brazil), Sergio Ramos (Spain), Alex Sandro (Brazil); Ousmane Dembélé (France), Paul Pogba (France), Jack Wilshere (England), Neymar (Brazil); Thomas Müller (Germany), Mario Mandzukic (Croatia).

Substitutes: Gerónimo Rulli (Argentina), Nico Elvedi (Switzerland), Willian (Brazil), Edinson Cavani (Uruguay), Dries Mertens (Belgium), Nélson Semedo (Portugal), Nathan Redmond (England), Leander Dendoncker (Belgium), Demarai Gray (England), Luis Suárez (Uruguay), Michy Batshuayi (Belgium), Samuel Umtiti (France).

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1 minute ago, ChileanRanger said:

6-2...I'm not even mad. 4th is miles ahead of not going at all.

Sorry it had to end like this, CR. :D

To be honest, I've no idea how Chile failed to qualify for the World Cup in real life. I've always rated this team very highly and would've had them down as potential dark horses for sure.

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hace 5 minutos, CFuller dijo:

Sorry it had to end like this, CR. :D

To be honest, I've no idea how Chile failed to qualify for the World Cup in real life. I've always rated this team very highly and would've had them down as potential dark horses for sure.

Are you kidding? Past the knockout stage and not facing Brazil in it. That alone is grounds for celebration.

And the answer is simple. Wasted opportunities to get points. Paraguay in Santiago was a complete rout and we would have classified if only Díaz(again!) screwed up at La Paz.

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***

 

When a crestfallen England team returned from the 2016 UEFA European Championship in France, it was to very little fanfare. Two years later, after their 3rd-place finish at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, things could not have been any more different.

 

Mark Catterall and his band of proud Lions touched down on British soil again at just after 1:00pm on 16 June 2018, following a four-hour flight from Moscow. When they disembarked at Heathrow Airport, they were greeted by thousands of delighted English men and women, many of whom had taken the day off work to salute their heroes.

 

The last time the English public had made such a big fuss about their football team's exploits at a major tournament overseas had been in 1990, when a huge post-World Cup parade was staged for national heroes such as Gary Lineker, Paul Gascoigne, Peter Shilton and - of course - Neil Webb. 1990 truly was a great year.

 

That team from Italia '90 was widely hailed as one of the best the country had produced since Sir Alf Ramsey was still calling the shots. However, it was easy to forget that those Three Lions had only won one match within 90 minutes - a 1-0 Group Stage victory over Egypt. They had also lost their final two matches - the Semi Finals on penalties to eventual champions West Germany, and the 3rd-Place Play-Off to Italy.

 

The class of 2018 had far outstripped the heroes from 28 years earlier, at least statistically. Catterall's men won FIVE out of seven matches, all in normal time. They hadn't conceded any goals prior to the Quarter Finals, and though they couldn't quite take Belgium to penalties in the Semis, they trounced Chile 6-2 in their final game to secure a podium finish.

 

In the two years that had passed since he succeeded Roy Hodgson as England manager, Catterall had inherited a squad of overpaid, over-pampered misfits, and turned them into a genuine international footballing force.

 

Attacking midfielder Jack Wilshere - seen by many as the heir apparent to Gazza - had come alive with four goals, thus earning himself a place in the World Cup Dream Team. Young stars such as Demarai Gray and Nathan Redmond had emerged out wide, while the defence had held firm for much of the tournament, even if Michy Batshuayi had make them look rather flimsy in the Semi Final.

 

The likes of Wilshere and captain Jordan Henderson were mobbed by scores of supporters as they made their way into the terminal. One overzealous female fan was even heard screaming, in a typical Essex girl accent, "I want your babies, Phil Jones!"

 

The FA's Director of Communications, Ava Leggett, then co-ordinated a press conference at the airport. Catterall and some of his players were happy to answer any questions put forward by the press.

 

The first question was directed towards Catterall, as Olivia Connolly from ESPN asked, "So, Mark... 3rd place in your first major tournament with the England team. How proud are you of that achievement?"

 

"I'm very proud, absolutely," Catterall smiled. "We've proved a lot of people wrong by going as far as we have. Football fans in this country, and around the world, now see us as a force to be reckoned with.

 

"Believe me, though, when I say that this is only the start. We want to give this new UEFA Nations League a real good go next season, and then we'll set our sights on having a strong European Championship two years from now. I'm not gonna lie to you and say we don't have a chance of winning that, 'cos I honestly feel that we do."

 

BBC Radio 5 Live reporter Scott Davidson then put his hand up before asking Jordan Henderson, "Jordan, as the England captain, this is something we've been DYING to ask you. Which character from 'Geordie Shore' do you think you have most in common with?"

 

England's Sunderland-born captain laughed nervously as Leggett interjected, "Does anybody want to ask a serious question now?"

 

Harry Kane was asked by the Daily Mirror about what he thought of his own performances at his debut World Cup. The Tottenham Hotspur striker said, "Yeah, y'know, my job's always been to get some goals and help the team perform. I only got two goals against Belgium, so that ain't great, y'know, but I'm still chuffed that the team did as well as we did. Basically, at the end of the day, I can't complain, really."

 

There was some amusement later in the press conference, when one journalist confused 22-year-old Newcastle United sensation Rolando Aarons with another Jamaican-born wing wizard - Raheem Sterling, who'd barely featured for England or indeed for Manchester City over the past two years.

 

"Raheem... sorry... Rolando," the blushing journo began, "About a year ago, you were getting promoted from the Championship and were nowhere near the England squad. Now you've scored three goals at the World Cup and have a bronze medal. Just sum up your feelings if you will."

 

"I could never have imagined this," Aarons responded. "At the start of the season, I was just hoping to get into the Newcastle team and keep them up. To play at a World Cup with England and be so successful is just... wow! To be honest, I'm expecting my mum to pinch me and wake me up from this dream!"

 

It was a typical sign of humility from Aarons. He didn't want to be labelled as England's next big thing, but he'd been catapulted to superstardom almost overnight. Even Sterling himself had reportedly told The Sun, "I wish I was Rolando Aarons."

 

An open-top bus parade then took the team across west London and to Wembley Stadium, where even more fans had gathered to celebrate. Many were dressed in replica England kits, and there were more than a handful of St George's Crosses and Union Flags being waved around.

 

"Jesus Christ," Catterall muttered as he saw swathes of men, women and children lining the streets. "We only finished 3rd! This is a bit much, ain't it?"

 

"Relax, Mark," said his assistant Michael Burke, sporting a pair of novelty plastic breasts, á la Gazza. "We've not had anything to celebrate for years! Just enjoy the moment!"

 

Goalkeeper Joe Hart laughed, "Imagine what it'll be like if we WIN next time!"

 

The bus stopped just outside Wembley, and the team got off for a short ceremony. BBC presenter Ore Oduba enthusiastically introduced the players and coaches to the crowd, one-by-one, with everyone receiving their own standing ovation - even Fraser Forster.

 

The team were then met with a rousing rendition of "Vindaloo" by Fat Les - the Britpop 'supergroup' consisting of Keith Allen, Damien Hirst and Alex James, who had reunited for one last performance. After that, Henderson and Catterall were given opportunities to personally thank the fans.

 

As Oduba handed the microphone over to him, Henderson gasped, "Wow! This reception - it is just unbelievable! All of you are unbelievable! From the bottom of all our hearts, thank you for the support over these last few weeks.

 

"This has been an incredible journey for the England team, and we're honoured to have had you on every step of the way. We might not have come home with the World Cup this year, but we will do our very best to deliver a trophy in the near future. Believe me when I say that the best is yet to come!"

 

Catterall was also feeling confident about the prospects of long-term success. He told the crowd, "The last month or so has been an incredible learning experience for all of us. Getting to the Semi Finals and finishing in 3rd place was a tremendous achievement, but as Jordan rightly says, there is a lot more to come in the future.

 

"The England football team have let you down far too often in the past when it comes to major tournaments. Today, I can confidently say that you are looking at a new England. This is the moment where everything changes.

 

"We have got the attitude, the desire, the ability to battle with the best and challenge for honours. More importantly, we've got the most passionate football supporters in the world. With you behind us, nothing is impossible."

 

The England team then got back on the bus and headed for their final destination - Downing Street. Awaiting them there would be Prime Minister Jeremy Corbyn and his wife Laura.

 

Catterall, Burke and their 23 players had all been invited for a private audience with the newly-elected Labour PM, who'd successfully ousted Theresa May's Conservatives in a snap general election held two months beforehand.

 

69-year-old Corbyn was the Member of Parliament for Islington North and was a keen supporter of his local team Arsenal. When meeting the England team, he was particularly praiseworthy of Gunners midfielder Wilshere, whom he told, "Ah, I hear you were our best player in Russia! Four goals isn't a bad feat for a midfield player, is it?"

 

Wilshere blushed, "Yeah, I did alright. I had a lot of help, to be fair!"

 

Corby quipped, "I bet you did have a lot of assistance from the England physiotherapists. Why can't Arsenal have them as well? At least us Gooners might then get to see you play for Arsenal every now and then!"

 

Wilshere was the sole Gunner in this England team, although the Prime Minister seemed to think that Arsenal had another player in the ranks. He asked John Stones, "Am I right in thinking you've just signed for Arsenal? £55million?"

 

"Nah, mate, not in this universe," the Manchester City centre-half laughed. "I can't be doing with living down south, anyway! I'd miss all t' puddings and superfast broadband if I left t' north!"

 

The PM was then introduced to another of England's central defenders. Former Chelsea man Gary Cahill, who would be returning to Russia in the coming days to officially link up with his new club CSKA Moscow, said upon shaking Corbyn's hand, "Let the ruling classes tremble at a communist revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Workingmen of all countries, unite!"

 

Corbyn turned to his secretary and remarked, "I like the cut of this guy's jib!"

 

Corbyn later congratulated Catterall, saying, "Thank you for all the tremendous work you've done so far with this team. If this is a sign of things to come, then I have no doubt that you will one day lead England to victory at a major tournament."

 

"I'd like to think that we can get even better," Catterall nodded. "We've got some excellent players coming through the ranks, though I think there's more that could be done to help them."

 

"What do you mean by that, Mark? Is there anything that we in Government can do for you?"

 

"Yes. It seems to me that the last Government priced a lot of working-class kids out of organised football. England has probably lost a few years' worth of potential talents because of that."

 

Corbyn nodded, "That's the Tories for you. That's one problem we are determined to put right over the coming years. In Government, it is one of our duties to make sure that every child gets a fair chance to succeed in sport."

 

"Cheers, Mr Corbyn. It would be a great help for us in the long-term if you sorted that out."

 

"Please, call me Jeremy... or Jezza. That's what all the young Labour voters call me. I'm very down with the kids."

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Chapter 20 - The Kids Are Alright

 

The senior team had finished 3rd in the FIFA World Cup. The Under-21s were runners-up at the most recent European Championship. Now it was up to England's Under-19s to keep their country's good run at recent major tourrnaments going.

 

England had qualified for the UEFA European Under-19s Championship for the ninth time in the event's 17-year history. Surprisingly, they had never won this competition in its current form, though they had been crowned European Under-18s champions in 1993.

 

The closest England had come to claiming the Under-19s title had been in 2005 and 2009, when they finished runners-up on each occasion to France and Ukraine respectively. The likes of Mark Noble and Dexter Blackstock (2005), Danny Drinkwater, Kyle Walker and Gavin Hoyte (2009) had gone on to play senior international football since participating in those Finals, though not all necessarily for the Three Lions.

 

The 2018 finals would be held in the south of Finland - a country that was fonder of ice hockey than football - between 17 July and 28 July.

 

While the Under-21s and Under-17s European finals had both undergone expansion in recent years, the Under-19s Championship remained unchanged. The eight finalists would be divided into two groups of four teams, with the winners and runners-up in each group advancing into the Semi Finals. In addition, as this event was being held in an even-numbered year, the top five teams would qualify for the 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup in France.

 

France had won the last two European Championships back-to-back, but they and 2017 runners-up Germany had both been eliminated by Serbia in the Elite Round. The 'Orlići' (or 'Young Eagles') would be among the teams to watch at these finals.

 

The draw was held in June, about six weeks before the teams would descend on Finland for the finals:

 

2018 UEFA European Under-19s Championship Group Stage draw

GROUP A: Belgium, Croatia, England, Finland (hosts)

GROUP B: Czech Republic, Israel, Serbia, Spain

 

Both groups looked very competitive on paper, but England were understandably relieved to have avoided both Serbia and Spain. However, they could not evade Belgium, whose younglings would surely be inspired by the recent heroics of their senior idols in Russia.

 

England had already faced Belgium before this season, losing 4-2 to the Red Devils in September. The Belgian contingent would be headed by Adrien Bongiovanni - an exciting midfield talent at Monaco who'd recently spent a full season on loan with Ligue 2 side Ajaccio. They also had two English-based players in Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Jonathan De Bie and Stoke City winger Thibaud Verlinden.

 

Croatia were another potentially tricky obstacle in the Young Lions' path towards glory, having eliminated Italy en route to qualification. Legia Warsaw striker Sandro Kulenovic was one player that would need special attention from the English defence.

 

Host nation Finland were the clear outsiders. The Huuhkajat were badly lacking any real quality, and they would need to make full use of home advantage if they were to get past the Group Stage.

 

A hectic schedule would see England play their first group match against Belgium in the southwestern city of Turku on 17 July. Two days later, they would travel east to the town of Kouvola for a meeting with Finland. Their last group game would then be back in Turku against Croatia on 22 July.

 

Head coach Matthew Wells would lead the Young Lions in Finland, accompanied by coaches Mark Beeney, Ledley King and Frank Lampard. England manager Mark Catterall had just returned from a longer-than-expected FIFA World Cup campaign in Russia, so he would be tracking his youngsters' progress from back home in Staffordshire.

 

Catterall finalised his 18-man squad for the European Under-19s Championship whilst still out in Russia. There wouldn't be much in the way of surprises.

 

ENGLAND UNDER-19s squad - for 2018 UEFA European Under-19s Championship

NAME                      POSITIONS           D.O.B. (AGE)     CLUB            HEIGHT WEIGHT     VALUE
Terry Cowling             GK                  28/03/2001 (17)  Leeds           6'1"   11st 11lbs £67K    
Steve Hilton              GK                  26/07/2001 (16)  Liverpool       6'1"   11st 2lbs  £91K    
Alistair Rattray          SW, D (C)           17/02/2000 (18)  Southampton     5'9"   11st 0lbs  £2.3M   
Trevoh Chalobah           D (RLC)             05/07/1999 (18)  Chelsea         6'3"   12st 1lb   £100K   
Jordan Williams           D (RLC)             22/10/1999 (18)  Huddersfield    6'0"   12st 6lbs  £300K   
Peter Turner              D (RC), WB/M (R)    09/03/2001 (17)  Chelsea         5'10"  10st 12lbs £300K   
Joe Rankin-Costello       D (RC), M/AM (RLC)  26/07/1999 (18)  Swansea         5'10"  11st 2lbs  £6.75M  
Corey Jordan              D (C)               04/03/1999 (19)  Hibernian       6'1"   12st 1lb   £210K   
Josh Tymon                D/WB (L)            22/05/1999 (19)  Hull            5'8"   10st 9lbs  £600K   
Ryan Sessegnon            D/M/AM (L)          18/05/2000 (18)  Man City        5'11"  12st 1lb   £3.9M   
Reiss Nelson              M (L), AM (RL)      10/12/1999 (18)  Arsenal         5'9"   11st 0lbs  £3.2M   
Dennis Adeniran           M/AM (C)            02/01/1999 (19)  Fulham          6'0"   12st 3lbs  £575K   
Andre Dozzell             M/AM (C)            02/05/1999 (19)  Leicester       6'0"   10st 9lbs  £825K   
Mason Mount               M/AM (C)            10/01/1999 (19)  Chelsea         5'9"   9st 4lbs   £165K   
Jonathan Leko             AM (RL), ST (C)     24/04/1999 (19)  West Brom       6'2"   11st 2lbs  £900K   
Lawrence Warner           AM (RC), ST (C)     28/12/2000 (17)  Liverpool       5'11"  11st 6lbs  £2.1M   
Ben Brereton              ST (C)              18/04/1999 (19)  Nottm Forest    6'1"   13st 0lbs  £2.8M   
Eddie Nketiah             ST (C)              30/05/1999 (19)  Arsenal         5'10"  11st 2lbs  £1.5M   

 

Eagle-eyed followers of the England Under-19s might recall that the squad was completely unchanged from that which had completed the Elite Round. Catterall had obviously seen enough in those 18 players to keep faith in them and not bring in any new faces before the finals.

 

Among those unfortunate to miss out on the finals squad were Leicester City youngsters Morgan Gibbs-White and Simranjit Thandi, both of whom had featured in the early stages of qualifying. Southampton's promising but injury-prone striker Niall Ennis was also absent.

 

Arsenal had three players in the squad - winger Reiss Nelson, striker Eddie Nketiah (scorer of 18 Championship goals for Milton Keynes Dons last season), and midfielder Joe Rankin-Costello. The latter had recently agreed to join Swansea City on a season-long loan and would link up with the Swans upon his return from Finland.

 

Chelsea trio Trevoh Chalobah, Mason Mount and Peter Turner would also feature, with goalkeeper Steve Hilton and forward Lawrence Warner representing Liverpool. No other team had more than one player in this squad.

 

Six players - including Hilton, Turner and Warner - were young enough to be eligible for the 2019 European Championship, while three could have potentially been around for another crack at glory in 2020.

 

Josh Tymon, who had previous tournament experience from the 2017 FIFA U20 World Cup, would captain the Young Lions in these finals. The Hull City left-back was very vocal in the build-up to the tournament, confidently saying that his team believed they could go all the way and claim the title. It would soon be time for Tymon and company to back up those strong words.

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***

 

While their club-mates were in the full swing of pre-season training, England's best teenage footballers were in Finland for the UEFA European Under-19s Championship. Matthew Wells' Young Lions had been training in the southwestern city of Turku for a little over a week before they finally got to kick a ball in anger.

 

Turku's Paavo Nurmen Stadion was the venue for the opening game of this European Championship. The ground had been named after one of the city's most popular sons - the legendary middle- and long-distance runner Paavo Nurmi, who won an incredible NINE Olympic gold medals in the 1920s. Only one other person - American swimmer Michael Phelps - had accumulated more Olympic golds in any discipline at either the Summer or Winter Games than the 'Flying Finn'.

 

England had not won a European title at Under-18s or Under-19s level since 1993. Their first opponents in Group A were Belgium, who had waited 41 years to triumph at that level - or indeed at any level - before the seniors lifted the greatest prize of them all. Less than 48 hours after watching their Red Devils heroes destroy France in the FIFA World Cup Final, Belgium's youngsters set out on their quest to bring another trophy home.

 

Belgium and England were considered to be Group A's leading lights before the tournament. A win would make either side firm favourites to progress to the Semi Finals.

 

The Young Lions were led out by left-back Josh Tymon, who had recently departed his hometown club Hull City in an £11.5million transfer to West Ham United. The jovial Yorkshireman was likely to come under pressure from one of Belgium's key men - right-winger Adriano Bertaccini, who'd scored in a 4-2 win for the Red Devils when the teams had last met in September.

 

The early momentum appeared to be with Belgium, who registered their first shot on target after just five minutes. Club Brugge midfielder Daouda Peeters saw his powerful drive palmed behind by England's Liverpool goalkeeper Steve Hilton. A minute later, Belgian centre-back Hannes Delcroix met English right-back Jordan Williams' headed clearance with a half-volley that flew over the bar.

 

England's first few attacks were somewhat promising as well. Andre Dozzell's 16th-minute free-kick went harmlessly over Halil Baturman's goal, but the Red Devils keeper would have to make his first save shortly afterwards. Reiss Nelson played Arsenal team-mate Eddie Nketiah clean through on goal, but Baturman managed to get his fingertips to the striker's attempt.

 

In the 22nd minute, England winger Jonathan Leko instinctively found Williams' overlapping run on the right flank. The Huddersfield Town full-back then whipped in a cross, hoped to find Mason Mount in the box. Instead, the delivery was diverted into the net off the unfortunate Belgium centre-half Sven Cornette!

 

England's opener had an air of good fortune about it. That said, winger Nelson did show real class in the 28th minute with an excellent run towards goal. Unfortunately for him, his subsequent shot on goal was safely gathered by Baturman.

 

Both keepers would have to make excellent saves shortly after the half-hour point. Hilton's fingertips denied AA Gent striker Hicham Bennouna an equaliser for Belgium, while Baturman caught a long-distance punt from England's Chelsea midfielder Mount.

 

Lady Luck eluded the Young Lions after 40 minutes, when another Chelsea player - centre-half Trevoh Chalobah - nodded an excellent Nelson against the crossbar. Nevertheless, they would head into the interval still leading by a solitary goal.

 

Belgium coach Gert Verheyen, who won 50 senior caps during his playing career, made all three of his substitutions in one fell swoop during the interval. None of the players he introduced would make much impact in a match that gradually slipped further away from the Red Devils.

 

Chalobah got his head to another Nelson corner in the 54th minute, only to miss the target completely on that occasion. One Englishman who fared slightly better in the 62nd minute was their only half-time substitute - Liverpool forward Lawrence Warner, whose hopeful attempt was caught by Baturman.

 

Warner would try his luck again from a free-kick two minutes later, but he screwed it wide. The Lincolnshire-born attacker's third and final attempt, after 70 minutes, was a weak header that didn't really trouble Baturman.

 

The Young Lions were looking slightly more comfortable than the 1-0 lead suggested, but they would have a major injury worry in the 71st minute, when Nketiah clashed heads with Belgian sub Othman Boussaid. Nketiah sustained a noticeable bruise and was somewhat dazed. England coach Wells wanted to take Nketiah off, but manager Mark Catterall - watching from back home - texted Wells to insist that he played on.

 

Belgium's midfield playmaker Godfred Issah sensed a chance to equalise in the 76th minute. After skilfully controlling a cross from his captain Auguste Martens, Issah struck from the edge of the England area, and Hilton had to stretch out to produce what would be a vital save.

 

A solid England defence spearheaded by the impressive Tymon would shut Belgium out for the rest of the match. The English attackers were not so imposing, as Baturman restricted them to a single goal by catching Nelson's attempt in the 86th minute. Three minutes later, Nketiah blazed over a half-volley that he perhaps could've got closer to the target had he been in prime condition.

 

England were off to a winning start, but they wouldn't be heading the Group A table after the first round of fixtures. That honour went to Croatia, who had recovered from a 2-1 half-time deficit to defeat host nation Finland 3-2.

 

The Finns would be next up for England, for whom another win would surely send them into the Semi Finals. However, they would have to play that match without star striker Nketiah, whose head injury was found to be worse than first suspected. The Arsenal man was now in a race against time to regain his fitness for the final group match against Croatia.

 

17 July 2018: UEFA European Under-19s Championship Group A - at Paavo Nurmen Stadion, Turku

Belgium U19s - 0

England U19s - 1 (Sven Cornette og22)

ENGLAND U19s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Steve Hilton; Jordan Williams, Alistair Rattray, Trevoh Chalobah (Corey Jordan), Josh Tymon; Andre Dozzell, Joe Rankin-Costello (Dennis Adeniran); Jonathan Leko (Lawrence Warner), Mason Mount, Reiss Nelson; Eddie Nketiah.

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***

 

Just two days after getting their UEFA European Under-19s Championship off to a winning start, England moved east from Turku to Kouvola for their second Group A fixture. Awaiting them at a stadium with perhaps the least pronounceable name in world football would be host nation Finland, whose own campaign had started with a defeat to Croatia.

 

England's head coach Matthew Wells faced a real struggle to keep his players fit after such a short turnaround. He would only have 17 of them at his disposal, as forward Eddie Nketiah was out of contention with a bruised head.

 

17-year-old Liverpool striker Lawrence Warner, who'd been compared to Michael Owen at Anfield, took Nketiah's place up front for this match. There were also starts for the four squad players who hadn't featured against Belgium - goalkeeper Terry Cowling, full-backs Ryan Sessegnon and Peter Turner, and target man Ben Brereton.

 

With regular captain Josh Tymon benched, the skipper's armband was passed on to Corey Jordan. The AFC Bournemouth centre-back would begin a season-long loan stint with Scottish Premiership side Hibernian at the conclusion of this tournament.

 

Finland were the weakest team in the group on paper, and England wasted little time in taking the game to them. However, they would need a while to find their range, as sub-standard early shots from Brereton and midfielder Joe Rankin-Costello showed.

 

Finland's start suggested that they would test the referee's patience more regularly than England's defence. The Huuhkajat - coached by 57-year-old Englishman Stephen Ward - had three players booked within the first 19 minutes.

 

First to go into the book was centre-back Petter Hemming, who upended Warner in the eighth minute. Four minutes later, striker Jarno Salminen was cautioned over his unsuccessful claims for a penalty after winger Joel Mattsson had been tackled by Jordan. Midfielder Ari Ahonpää was then penalised for tripping Rankin-Costello in the 19th minute.

 

England also had a player booked in the 16th minute, with Brereton being cautioned for making contact with Finnish left-back Lassi Lahtinen. Shortly after that incident, an excellent fingertip save from Cowling denied Rangers right-winger Serge Atakayi what would've been a shock opening goal for Finland.

 

That narrow escape was just what the Young Lions needed to get their game going. When Brereton prodded home a drilled cross from Sessegnon after 21 minutes, England had themselves a 1-0 lead.

 

Brereton headed over a chance to make it 2-0 in the 25th minute, but England only needed another four minutes to double their advantage. Rankin-Costello did the damage with a killer pass to Warner, who drove in his first international goal from the edge of the Finnish penalty area.

 

Some shocking Finnish passing helped England to push forward in search of another goal after 31 minutes. That attack could've resulted in Warner scoring for a second time, but former Newcastle United goalkeeper Otto Huuhtanen palmed the shot behind to keep the scoreline respectable.

 

England had two players booked in very quick succession late in the first half, with Sessegnon's yellow card being followed by one for centre-half Alistair Rattray. The latter's foul on Ahonpää in the 39th minute gave Finland a free-kick in a very promising position, but Salminen curled it into Cowling's hands.

 

Stoke City forward Niklas Jokelainen came on for Finland during the break. Four minutes into his cameo, Jokelainen played a promising ball out wide to Atakayi, whose audacious volley went astray.

 

Jonathan Leko was a tad unlucky not to make it 3-0 England on a couple of occasions. The West Bromwich Albion winger's 52nd-minute shot from a Rankin-Costello went inches wide, and his next attempt three minutes later was caught by Huuhtanen.

 

Huuhtanen made another save on the 60th minute, securing a 20-yard effort from Warner. That save was bookended by a couple more Finnish bookings - one for Lazio midfielder Abukar Mohamed, and another for Lahtinen. Both cautions had followed fouls on Brereton, who would be subbed off by England shortly afterwards to minimise the risk of him picking up a second yellow card.

 

The Young Lions' attacking threat was rather less prominent in the 30 minutes after Brereton's substitution. They would notch up just one more shot on target, in the 67th minute.

 

Rattray intercepted a potentially troublesome Finnish cross from Atakayi and hit it out left to Leko, who moved the ball back inside to Andre Dozzell. The Leicester City midfielder then searched out a run from Warner, who broke free of Huuhkajat captain and right-back Jesse Väisänen and cut into the penalty area. But for another sublime save from Huuhtanen to keep out Warner's wicked curler, England would've been looking at a three-goal lead.

 

Finland's defenders had done well to avert the expected flood of English goals. Their counterparts were similarly impressive en route to keeping another clean sheet, with centre-halves Jordan and Rattray proving especially adept at covering for rare errors by their team-mates. Goalkeeper Cowling needed to make only a solitary save after the interval, from Jukka Ojala's header in the 81st minute.

 

Though Wells and his fellow coaches were perhaps a little disappointed that England hadn't built on their 2-0 half-time lead, the result was all that really mattered. The Young Lions had won a second match on the bounce.

 

England were now three points ahead of both Croatia and Belgium in Group A following the latter's 1-0 win in their meeting, with Adriano Bertaccini getting the only goal after seven minutes. The Young Lions' goal difference was also three better than both of those teams.

 

The unconvincing nature of England's victories meant that qualification for the Semi Finals was not yet a certainty. They could afford to lose against Croatia on 22 July and still go through, but a heavier loss would leave them hoping that Belgium could not defeat Finland, who were rock-bottom with zero points.

 

As well as securing a place in the knockout phase, the top two teams in each group would secure qualification for the 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup in France. The 3rd-placed teams would then play each other for the final European spot at the World Cup. The latter scenario was one that England were desperate to avoid.

 

19 July 2018: UEFA European Under-19s Championship Group A - at Kouvolan Keskusurheilukenttä, Kouvola

England U19s - 2 (Ben Brereton 21, Lawrence Warner 29)

Finland U19s - 0

ENGLAND U19s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Terry Cowling; Peter Turner, Corey Jordan, Alistair Rattray (Jordan Williams), Ryan Sessegnon; Joe Rankin-Costello, Dennis Adeniran (Mason Mount); Ben Brereton (Reiss Nelson), Andre Dozzell, Jonathan Leko; Lawrence Warner. BOOKED: Brereton 16, Sessegnon 38, Rattray 39.

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***

 

England were on the brink of reaching the Semi Finals of the UEFA European Under-19s Championship. Victories in their opening two matches in Group A had left them needing only a solitary point in their final round-robin fixture against Croatia at Turku's Paavo Nurmen Stadion to progress.

 

The Young Lions would also book a place in the last four if Belgium were unable to defeat table-propping Finland in Kouvola. If that was to happen, only a Croatian win would deny England top spot.

 

Were Croatia and Belgium to win their games, they would be level on six points with England, in which case head-to-head records would determine the top two. As England had won 1-0 against Belgium, who in turn had defeated Croatia by the same scoreline, a heavier margin of victory for Croatia against England would eliminate the Young Lions.

 

If there was one thing the Vatreni did have, it was firepower. Kresimir Hujber - who played for second-division side Cibala back home - had been the top scorer in the qualifying phases, with six goals to his credit. Hujber hadn't yet found the net in the finals themselves, though he and strike partner Sandro Kulenovic of Legia Warsaw would surely prove tricky opponents for the English defence.

 

Kulenovic certainly gave the Young Lions a scare in the third minute, when he ran onto an excellent long pass from Hrvoje Ilic and looked set to burst clean through. That was until he was stopped by a superbly-executed sliding challenge from England centre-half Corey Jordan. A less impressive tackle shortly afterwards would see forward Reiss Nelson booked for bringing down Ilic.

 

England put Croatia under pressure in the sixth minute by winning the first of what would be an incredible four corners in quick succession. On the first three occasions, Nelson's delivery was headed behind by Croatian midfielder Zvonimir Jukic. The final effort was whipped comfortably into the hands of Vatreni goalkeeper Ante Caktas.

 

The Young Lions were producing some steadily-paced passing football to try and open Croatia apart. While their build-up play was easy on the eye, their shooting was anything but. Nelson, Ben Brereton and Mason Mount would all miss the target between the 15th and 20th minutes.

 

England's next miss, on 33 minutes, was more down to incredibly bad luck than poor execution. Fulham midfielder Dennis Adeniran certainly hit Jonathan Leko's cut-back sweet and true from 30 yards out, but the ball clipped the underside of Caktas' crossbar and bounced back into play. Vatreni right-back Nikola Zuzul then superbly tackled the loose ball off Nelson before the Londoner could stab it into the net.

 

England would have not one but two cases of bad luck in the 44th minute. Much like Adeniran earlier on, Nelson thundered a shot against the post after controlling a pass from Arsenal colleague Joe Rankin-Costello. Moments later, Nelson was heavily involved in an attacking move that resulted in Brereton's shot being heroically palmed off the Croatian goal line by Caktas.

 

The Young Lions could hardly believe that they were still goalless at the half-time whistle. The scoreline in Kouvola was arguably even more incredible, as pointless Finland were leading Belgium 2-1.

 

As things stood, Croatia and England would be heading into the Semi Finals, with the latter going through as Group A winners. However, that situation was reversed just two minutes into the second period.

 

England substitute Lawrence Warner's first meaningful act after coming on was to give the ball away to Jukic deep in Croatia's half. Though England briefly regained possession, Jukic won the ball again for the Vatreni, who launched a devastating counter-attack after wing-back Mato Guc hit the ball long towards Kulenovic. The Polish-based striker then surged clear of Jordan before beating Steve Hilton for the game's opening goal.

 

Another Croatian goal would put England in real jeopardy were Belgium to fight back in their game. The Young Lions had Liverpool goalkeeper Hilton to thank for keeping them in the game when he caught a 54th-minute free-kick from Croatian midfield substitute Matej Santek. The 16-year-old would make a couple more saves from Jukic in the 63rd minute and Santek two minutes after that.

 

England's first real attempt to draw back level was a wayward free-kick from Mount on 70 minutes. A few minutes after that, news filtered through that Finland had taken a 3-1 lead against a Belgian side who'd also had a man sent off. If the Finns could hold on, the Young Lions would be heading into the Semis regardless.

 

England captain Josh Tymon floated a promising left-wing into Croatia's box in the 80th minute. Brereton's volley was deflected off Vatreni defender Mario Suver, whose centre-back partner Kresimir Krstanovic blocked a follow-up header from Warner. Suver then hacked the ball away to dispel arguably England's best attack of the second period.

 

Kulenovic beat Jordan Williams to Suver's clearance, but he clipped the England right-back's thigh in the process. Though Williams was cleared to finish the match, the bruising he'd sustained would keep him out of their next game - either a Semi Final or, were the worse to come to the worse, a FIFA U20 World Cup play-off.

 

Unfortunately, England could not get the goal that would send them through to the Semi Finals on their own initiative. They'd had 13 shots at goal come full-time, yet only one had been on target. Croatia's own shooting was rather more incisive, and they would've won more comfortably had Hilton not saved from Kulenovic in the 87th minute.

 

The final whistle blew with Croatia narrowly winning 1-0, and so focus turned to Kouvola, where Belgium had scored twice in the final 13 minutes to draw level with Finland. However, despite their best efforts, they could not break through again, and so that match finished 3-3.

 

Croatia had won Group A, and England had also progressed, but only by the skin of their teeth. Had Belgium managed to grab a late winner against Finland, the Red Devils would have finished 1st instead of 3rd, and the Young Lions would have been knocked out, courtesy of having scored fewer goals than their rivals.

 

Matthew Wells' team had progressed with the best defensive record in the competition, even though everyone else bar Israel had found the net more often. They'd ground their way into the Semi Finals, and in doing so, they'd secured qualification for the 2019 U20 World Cup in France.

 

England would play their Semi Final three days later, against Group B winners Serbia at the Paavo Nurmen Stadion. Meanwhile, the other Semi would see Croatia face the Czech Republic in another stadium in Turku.

 

22 July 2018: UEFA European Under-19s Championship Group A - at Paavo Nurmen Stadion, Turku

England U19s - 0

Croatia U19s - 1 (Sandro Kulenovic 47)

ENGLAND U19s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Steve Hilton; Jordan Williams, Alistair Rattray, Corey Jordan (Peter Turner), Josh Tymon; Dennis Adeniran (Trevoh Chalobah), Joe Rankin-Costello; Jonathan Leko (Lawrence Warner), Mason Mount, Reiss Nelson; Ben Brereton. BOOKED: Nelson 4.

 

2018 UEFA European Under-19s Championship Group A (Final Standings)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    Q     Croatia U19s           3     2     0     1     4     3     1     6
2.    Q     England U19s           3     2     0     1     3     1     2     6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Belgium U19s           3     1     1     1     4     4     0     4
4.          Finland U19s           3     0     1     2     5     8     -3    1

 

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***

 

9:05am, Monday 23 July. The BBC Breakfast programme - filmed at MediaCityUK in Salford, and broadcast live every morning on BBC One - was in full swing. 'Football Focus' host Dan Walker and newsreader Louise Minchin were presenting this programme, and they had very special guests in the studio late in the day.

 

After the latest news bulletins, Minchin said, "We will, of course, have more on the sad news that Taylor Swift has suffered a nosebleed at a concert in New Jersey later. Now, though, it's time to meet our next guests."

 

Walker introduced the guests, "You'll surely remember the heroic exploits of the England men's football team at the FIFA World Cup in Russia earlier this summer. They went all the way to the Semi Finals for the first time in 28 years, eventually finishing in 3rd place. And I'm delighted to say that the England manager Mark Catterall is in the BBC Breakfast studio, along with his wife Jenny and their 10-year-old son Luke. Good morning to you all."

 

Mark nodded, "Good morning. Thank you for having us here."

 

Minchin smiled, "The pleasure's ours. Now, Mark, let's begin with the obvious question: how do you try and control a nosebleed on stage in front of 80,000 people?"

 

Walker interrupted, "Erm, I think Louise meant to ask how you felt after leading England to their best World Cup performance since 1990."

 

Mark replied, "Obviously, I'm very proud of how the team performed in Russia. We had some very difficult teams standing in our way, but we remained focussed and stuck to our gameplans. That's what got us past Uruguay and Switzerland, in my opinion.

 

"I think that's where England have fallen down often in the past. The players used to panic when the pressure was on, and perhaps the manager didn't have enough faith in their abilities. It also didn't help that a lot of players used to be picked mainly on their reputation rather than their form, and they didn't really pull their weight. I'd like to think I've changed all that."

 

Walker nodded, "You're certainly a man with a plan, Mark. Now talk to us about that heartbreaking Semi Final against Belgium. England were 2-0 down, and then Harry Kane pulled it back to 2-2, but then Belgium won in extra-time. Did you think for a moment that you would go all the way to the Final?"

 

Mark admitted, "Yeah, obviously, when you get so close, you think that it's there for the taking. I honestly thought we had enough energy to beat Belgium in extra-time, but they had some exceptional players, and they were just a little bit too strong for us in the end. We gave it our best, but it just wasn't enough."

 

Minchin said, "That match in particular must have been nerve-wracking for you, Mark. But let's not forget about you, Jenny. How was it for you watching your husband be put to the test like that?"

 

"I can't tell you exactly what I was feeling, not on morning TV!" Jenny laughed. "You always feel that little bit of excitement and nerves when your team's playing a big match, but even more so when someone you love is involved. I think the next-door neighbours heard me screaming when Belgium scored that winning goal! They must have thought something terrible had happened!"

 

"That's what sport can do to a lot of people. But top-level international football is a long way away from your day job, Jenny? What do you do?"

 

"I'm an IT technician. I do a lot of freelance work, fixing faulty computers and sorting out network servers. There aren't many women in my field, but I've been passionate about computers from an early age. I wouldn't give up my job for the world, not even when my husband has such a huge responsibility as he does."

 

"And you two have got another big responsibility, looking after Luke here. Hello, Luke! How are you?"

 

"Hello," Luke said. "I'm fine, thank you."

 

"How exciting was it for you that your daddy was at the World Cup?"

 

"Yeah, it was very exciting, and Dad did a great job there. England didn't win the World Cup, but he still got to take a bronze medal home, so that was great. I can't describe how happy I was when he let me hold that medal in my hands for the first time."

 

Walker asked Luke, "Of course, you're really big into your football, aren't you, Luke? What team do you support, and who's your favourite player?"

 

"I support Manchester United, like Mum, and my favourite player now is Paul Pogba. It used to be Wayne Rooney, but then he got injured."

 

Walker said, "We know you used to play for Manchester City, Mark. That must be a bit awkward for you, mustn't it - having both your wife and your little boy supporting the opposition!"

 

"I'll forgive them for that, 'cos at least they don't support Scotland," Mark quipped.

 

Minchin asked, "You actually grew up right here in Salford, didn't you, Mark?"

 

"Not quite," Mark corrected her. "I went to school in Salford, but I actually grew up in Cheetham Hill in Manchester. I was born in Blackpool, and we moved to Manchester after Dad signed for City. Some of your older viewers might know Brian Catterall - big centre-half, played mainly for Blackpool in the 60s and 70s."

 

Walker admitted, "I know of him, but to be honest, I doubt that many of the current BBC audience can even remember who Matt Jansen was, let alone Brian Catterall!" He then asked, "So, Mark and Jenny... can you tell us about Luke, if you will?"

 

Jenny nodded, "Luke's a very special boy. He was born three weeks premature, and he had something called 'Terry syndrome', which meant he went blind at a very young age. When the doctors told me that, I burst out crying, but Mark reassured me that blind kids do grow up to have good lives and careers."

 

Mark added, "He's a great kid, is Luke. He's worked very hard at school, even when his dad has been away. Next year will be his last at primary school, and then he moves on to secondary, and maybe then he'll start thinking about what he wants to do career-wise. You want to be a musician right now, don't you, Luke?"

 

"Yeah," Luke said, before telling the presenters, "I can play a lot of instruments, but I like the guitar especially. I wanted to play the guitar for you here, but Mum said I couldn't bring it with me."

 

Minchin said, "That's okay. Anyway, we've just spoken to James Blunt, who was promoting his new album 'Back To Back To Bedlam'. Maybe if he's still around in the green room, he could let you play his guitar for a bit."

 

"I would like that," Luke smiled. "I like James Blunt."

 

"That's the first time anyone's said that in about 13 years," Mark laughed.

 

Walker then had one final question. "So, Mark, to finish off... what's next for you, and for the Catterall family?"

 

Mark said, "Well, I've still got a little bit of work to do before the holidays. England's Under-19s are playing in their European Championship in Finland right now, and I'm helping to manage them from home. They've got a Semi Final against Serbia on Wednesday."

 

"Good luck with that."

 

"Thank you. Then I've got an important meeting with the FA on Friday, to discuss how we move forward into the UEFA Nations League and the Euro 2020 qualifiers. After that, we'll hopefully have the European Under-19s Final over the weekend... and then we can finally go away on a family holiday!"

 

Minchin said, "Ooh, that's exciting! Going anywhere nice?"

 

"Hayling Island, actually!" Jenny beamed excitedly. "There are some clean, child-friendly beaches over there, and it's not too far from where my parents live in Surrey, so we'll obviously pay them a visit while we're on our way down."

 

"That sounds great. Mark, Jenny, Luke... thank you for taking the time to speak to us live on BBC Breakfast."

 

"You're welcome," Mark nodded, before Luke added, "Thank you."

 

Walker then turned back to the camera and said, "We'll be heading back to Jon Sopel in New Jersey shortly for the latest news regarding Taylor Swift's tragic nosebleed. But now I'm delighted to say that we're joined in our London studio by Gyles Brandreth, who wants to share some exciting facts about emojis!"

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***

 

A year after England's Under-21s reached the Final of their European Championship, the Under-19s were now bidding to do likewise. If the Young Lions could beat Serbia at the Paavo Nurmen Stadion, they would have the opportunity to contest their third European Under-19s Final, and their first since 2009.

 

Awaiting the winners in the Final would be Croatia, who'd seen off the Czech Republic 2-0 in the first Semi Final. For England, it would be a chance to gain revenge for their Group Stage defeat to the Vatreni. For Serbia, Balkan pride would be at stake alongside the trophy if they were to face the Croats.

 

It was Serbia who had ended England's hopes of lifting the European Under-19s title in 2017, eliminating them at the Elite Round. The Orlići had high hopes of repeating that feat here, with two of their players having featured regularly in major leagues last season, despite their tender years. CSKA Moscow right-winger Stefan Mihajlovic had spent the season on loan at Russian Premier League rivals Kuban Krasnodar, while Djordje Jovanovic had scored 12 Eredivisie goals in his first season at Roda.

 

England didn't really have anyone who could match that experience. Most of their players had spent the season out on loan with lower-league clubs, while three starters - goalkeeper Steve Hilton, right-back Peter Turner, and forward Lawrence Warner - were still awaiting their senior league debuts.

 

England certainly looked the nervier side in the opening stages, with Fulham's Dennis Adeniran giving away a free-kick deep in their own half after just four minutes. Fortunately for Adeniran, his midfield colleague Joe Rankin-Costello managed to block Lazar Vujanic's set-piece in the Young Lions' wall.

 

Adeniran would have England's first shot at goal after 13 minutes. The oldest member of this Young Lions team met Ben Brereton's flick-on with a left-footed volley that clipped the top of Serbia's crossbar and deflected behind.

 

The woodwork had thwarted England on a couple of occasions in their earlier defeat to Croatia, and they would be cursing their luck again here. Next to strike the bar in the 24th minute was Leicester City's Andre Dozzell, whose free-kick beat Serbia goalkeeper Radomir Mitrovic but still ricocheted out of play.

 

The Young Lions had almost benefited from an enormous stroke for fortune three minutes later, when a deflected clearance from Orlići left-back Zlatan Sehovic ended up with England striker Eddie Nketiah in the penalty area. Thankfully for the Serbian contingent, Mitrovic was on hand to push Nketiah's shot clear.

 

Hilton faced his next test in the England goal after 38 minutes. Defender Trevoh Chalobah's attempted punt up the pitch deflected off colleague Adeniran's chest and bounced towards Serbia captain Jovanovic, whose 25-yard drive was caught by Hilton. Jovanovic would then blaze over another decent opening four minutes before the half-time whistle blew with the deadlock still intact.

 

Seven minutes after the restart, Jovanovic sprinted past England left-back Ryan Sessegnon to move onto a through-ball from FC Basel playmaker Predrag Radic. Jovanovic drilled the ball into the box and found Serbian substitute Mihajlo Neskovic, who tamely fired the ball into Hilton's hands.

 

A couple of minutes after that, Orlići midfielder Rade Neskovic (no relation to Mihajlo) was booked for tripping Reiss Nelson - one of two half-time substitutes from the Young Lions. That booking would rule the FK Rad prospect out of the Final, but Serbia's hopes of getting that far looked slim when Mitrovic spilled Dozzell's free-kick. The goalkeeper's compatriots were relieved to see him retrieve the ball at the second attempt before Nketiah could stab it home.

 

Mitrovic would be troubled twice more before the hour mark, with Dozzell and Adeniran each having shots by the highly-rated Napredak Kruševac custodian. Nketiah would go very close to beating Mitrovic in the 66th minute, six minutes before his most agonising miss yet.

 

After superbly tackling the ball off Jovanovic just outside England's penalty area, Chalobah hoofed it up the left flank, hoping to find Nketiah. Serbia defender Jovan Vlalukin missed his interception, leaving the Arsenal striker free to collect the long ball and cut inside. Nketiah then tried to beat Mitrovic from a tight angle, but his shot clipped the wrong side of the far post, and Vlalukin's defensive colleague Dimitrije Kamenovic hacked it behind.

 

England had now hit the woodwork three times in this match, and they could've been cursing their luck once more after 75 minutes. Mihajlo Neskovic's incisive ball between the England centre-backs left Jovanovic one-on-one with Hilton, but it was the Scouser - one day short of his 17th birthday - who won out with a heroic fingertip save.

 

The latter stages of normal time saw Sessegnon and Dozzell pick up bookings for England, who survived a few more close shaves. Jovanovic flicked a header just off target on 84 minutes, while Hilton got his fingers to a final-minute drive from Rade Neskovic.

 

The Young Lions did have one final chance to win the game just before the referee blew for the end of 90 minutes. Sadly for them, it was a very tame effort from Nketiah, whose attempt to lob Mitrovic did not fool the goalkeeper.

 

With 30 more minutes of football ahead, both teams now had the opportunity to bring on a fourth substitute - a recent introduction to UEFA knockout matches that went into extra-time. Serbia utilised their additional sub, replacing centre-back Julijan Popovic with midfield namesake Boris Popovic. England would not play their wildcard at all, leading some to wonder whether it was a tactical ploy or if they'd simply forgotten the new rules.

 

Serbia tried to make the most of their fresher legs when play restarted. Three minutes into extra-time, the newly-introduced Popovic played an excellent pass into England's area and found Popovic, whose angled shot was parried by Hilton.

 

Five minutes after that, Mihajlo Neskovic's free-kick ricocheted off the English wall and to Popovic, whose follow-up cleared the bar. Later in the 98th minute, England right-back Peter Turner put a dangerous cross into Serbia's penalty area. The ball very nearly deflected into the net off Orlići full-back Aleksa Terzic's heel, but Mitrovic reacted quickly to divert it away and spare his team-mate's blushes.

 

The final minute of the first additional half saw Nketiah jump over Terzic's slide tackle and supply a cross from the right flank. His delivery deflected off Mihajlovic and towards Dozzell, who blasted the ball against the bar for a second time! It was now 4-0 to England when it came to hitting the woodwork!

 

The English players' shoulders slumped upon another agonising miss. They struggled to get near Serbia's goal again in the final 15 minutes, with Brereton and Dozzell each firing wide shots that were hit more out of hope than expectation.

 

The Young Lions were fortunate that their defensive players - in particular Hilton and captain Corey Jordan - were on form against the Serbian frontline. Jovanovic would miss two more chances to kill the game off in the dying minutes, with one of them being saved by Hilton. The soon-to-be birthday boy really was having the best game of his fledgling international career, and he would shortly be put to his toughest test yet.

 

With the scores still at 0-0 after 120 minutes, a penalty shoot-out was called to determine who would play Croatia in the Final of the 2018 European Under-19s Championship.

 

Ironically, two teams who seemingly couldn't hit a barn door in the preceding two hours were suddenly unable to stop scoring when the pressure was cranked up! Emphatic opening penalties for Jovanovic and Brereton set the tone for a high-quality shoot-out in which England and Serbia each converted their first five spot-kicks, albeit with a couple of close shaves.

 

Sudden death officially began with Vlalukin stepping up for Serbia. His run-up was a nervy one, and when Hilton caught a poorly-struck effort, it was advantage England. Were Adeniran to score the Young Lions' sixth penalty, his team would be into a European Final.

 

Adeniran calmly placed the ball on his spot and eyed up the bottom-left corner of Mitrovic. His run-up was more confident than Vlalukin's... but the end result was the same. Mitrovic read the penalty perfectly, catching the England midfielder's low drive to keep the shoot-out going.

 

Kamenovic dispatched Serbia's next spot-kick to make it 6-5 to the Orlići. That left Sessegnon needing to score to keep the Young Lions in contention. The Manchester City left-back went to Mitrovic's right, but the keeper went the same way and punched it wide. Serbia had won.

 

Sessegnon fell to his feet, devastated and beyond consolation. England had been knocked out one game short of the Final, and in typically heart-breaking circumstances.

 

25 July 2018: UEFA European Under-19s Championship Semi Final - at Paavo Nurmen Stadion, Turku

England U19s - 0

Serbia U19s - 0

[after extra time, Serbia U19s win 6-5 on penalties]

PENALTY SHOOT-OUT: Jovanovic 0-1, Brereton 1-1, Dumitraskovic 1-2, Mount 2-2, M Neskovic 2-3, Nketiah 3-3, R Neskovic 3-4, Nelson 4-4, Terzic 4-5, Dozzell 5-5, Vlalukin saved, Adeniran saved, Kamenovic 5-6, Sessegnon saved.

ENGLAND U19s LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Steve Hilton; Peter Turner, Corey Jordan, Trevoh Chalobah (Alistair Rattray), Ryan Sessegnon; Dennis Adeniran, Joe Rankin-Costello (Mason Mount), Andre Dozzell; Lawrence Warner (Reiss Nelson); Ben Brereton, Eddie Nketiah. BOOKED: Sessegnon 82, Dozzell 90+1.

 

Getting to the Semi Finals wasn't a bad achievement for this England team, but manager Mark Catterall hadn't been overly impressed.

 

Catterall felt that his Young Lions had played with too much fear and anxiety in Finland, hence their lack of goals. He would put that down to poor preparation from the coaching staff - and particularly from head coach Matthew Wells, whose job would be under intense scrutiny upon his team's return home.

 

The European Under-19s Championship ended with Serbia beating Croatia in another penalty shoot-out after another dour goalless draw. Just like their senior counterparts earlier in the month, England's Young Lions had been eliminated from a major tournament by the eventual champions.

 

There was further consolation for three Young Lions, as Hilton, Jordan and Rankin-Costello had all been named in the competition's Best XI. Jordan and Rankin-Costello were expected to move up to the Under-21s in the near-future, but Hilton had potentially two more years with the Under-19s - and a couple more opportunities to claim this particular title.

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***

 

"I'm feeling a bit nervous, Mark. What about you?"

 

Michael Burke and Mark Catterall were sat outside the Football Association's boardroom at Wembley Stadium on the morning of Friday 27 July. They were about to meet leading FA executives to discuss England's performances at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and put forward their plans for future tournaments.

 

Burke was clearly anxious, but Catterall reassured him, "I'm fine, and you should be as well. I doubt we're gonna lose our jobs - not after taking England to the Semi Finals in Russia!"

 

"I don't know. Managers have been sacked after winning the Champions League in the past."

 

"We'll be alright. Trust me."

 

Vice-chairwoman Connie Millstone then came out of the boardroom and addressed the pair, "Good morning, gentlemen. Sorry to keep you waiting. We were all busy discussing how we could rebrand the Women's Super League and make it more family-friendly."

 

"Morning to you too, Connie," Catterall smiling as he shook Millstone's hand, with Burke following suit. The pair were then shown into the boardroom, where they were greeted by chairman Clark Gregory and chief executive David Whiteman.

 

"Thank you for coming to see us, gents," Gregory said. He then observed Burke's suit, remarking, "I see you have dressed for the occasion, Michael. That's more than could be said about you, Mark."

 

Whiteman retorted, "Mr Gregory, I hardly think that the lack of a necktie is a genuine reason to criticise Mr Catterall... and I have to add that you appear to have used that particular stick to beat him on more than one occasion in the past."

 

"Yeah, who cares if Mark doesn't wear a tie!" Millstone said as she sat down. "It's 2018; people can wear whatever they want!"

 

Gregory groaned, and then said, "Anyway... we've been reviewing your progress over the last two years, gentlemen. We're quite encouraged with how things have gone."

 

"That is most definitely the case where the senior team is concerned," Whiteman nodded, before telling Catterall, "Not since Sir Robert William Robson was in your position has an England team progressed to the final four of a FIFA World Cup. Your team has defeated formidable opposition, and we look forward to hopefully seeing them excel in the upcoming European competitions."

 

"I'm not sure you'll be seeing that at your age, David," Gregory muttered. He then told Catterall and Burke, "But yes, the board have agreed unanimously to keep you two on until at least the end of the 2020 European Championship."

 

"Thank you," Catterall nodded. "We've definitely got it in us to challenge for the Euros, without having to make too many changes to the squad."

 

Burke added, "Of course, we'll hope to bring in a few more players from the Under-21s. Nathan Redmond's been fantastic since he broke through, and we've got players like Brendan Galloway and Patrick Roberts who could do the same sooner or later."

 

"And Marcus Rashford, obviously, but he needs to knuckle down and earn regular starts for Manchester United."

 

"The future looks bright," Millstone beamed. "And when you look at the US President, you have to say the future's or-"

 

Gregory interrupted, "That'll do, Connie! Speaking of the future... it's time we threw out some of the dead wood." He then glanced at Whiteman, who smiled innocently.

 

"What do you mean?" Catterall asked.

 

"I think Mr Gregory might be hinting that he wishes for you to dispense of the services of Gary Cahill," Whiteman said.

 

Gregory explained, "Yes, and there's a lot of reasons why. Firstly, he's 32 years old, and he's not as quick as he used to be, which is a problem for a defender. Secondly, he's now playing in Russia against a load of bit-part Brazilians who made poor career choices. Thirdly, and I can't stress this enough, he's now a F***ING COMMUNIST!"

 

Burke exclaimed, "You can't drop Cahill because of his political beliefs!"

 

"I also don't agree with that last reason, Clark, but yes, I am a little concerned about the first two," Catterall admitted. "Let's just see how he starts off at CSKA Moscow. If he plays as well as he did at Chelsea, then he stays for another tournament cycle. If not, then we'll look to younger players."

 

"Yeah, and keeping Gary Cahill around could be great for the England brand," Millstone stated. "He's become a cult icon amongst the left-wing Twitterati who make up about 80% of the England fanbase, and the Daily Mirror have even said he could be a future Prime Minister! The Daily Mirror!"

 

Gregory hissed, "For Christ's sake, Connie! That's all fake news and you know it!"

 

"What I'm saying that we should capitalise on Cahill's enhanced profile. Strike while the iron's hot! You know what, if I was Mark right now, I'd be making Gary Cahill the England captain for the Euros!"

 

"Someone's obviously wandered onto Hyperbole Street, so let's move on quickly. What happened last night, Mark, with the Under-19s?"

 

Catterall responded, "We lost on penalties to Serbia. It was just one of those evenings."

 

"It unfortunately appears that the English disease has spread to the youth," Whiteman said. "I cannot help but feel somewhat concerned that the next generation is not responding any better to intense pressure than the current generation, or even the previous two."

 

"This next year is a pivotal one for your 'remote management' project, Mark," Gregory stated. "You can't honestly say it's working when our age-group teams are losing in Finals or Semi Finals. I'm expecting them to bring home at least one trophy in the next 12 months, or we'll have to reconsider."

 

Catterall nodded, "We're working on it, Clark. We want to remove Matthew Wells from his role as head coach of the Under-19s... and we want Ledley King to take over from next season."

 

Burke said, "Matt's a nice lad, but he's a bit on the soft side. The lads need a tougher, more confident coach like Ledley - someone with a winning mentality, someone with international experience at the highest level."

 

Millstone nodded, "Ledley King. That's a good call, that."

 

"Will he be able to do more than one training session a week, though?" Gregory asked.

 

"I don't think that'll be a problem, Clark," Burke said.

 

"Indeed, it will not," Whiteman nodded. "These two gentlemen here have informed me that they regularly encounter Mr King at St George's Park at 9 o'clock on the dot every day during the international breaks. He is as determined a coach as he ever was a player."

 

Gregory sighed, "Okay, we'll approve your proposed changes to the Under-19s set-up. Now... have you found someone to replace Ray Wilkins yet?"

 

"Not yet," Catterall said. "We've drawn up a shortlist of options, and we'll interview them once we're back from our holidays."

 

"I see. And is there anything else you'd like to discuss before we wrap up?"

 

Millstone said, "We still need to decide on a new Twitter hashtag for the new cycle."

 

"We can do that another time, Millstone."

 

Catterall shook his head. "No, I think everything's been covered. Mick?"

 

"I've got nothing else to add," Burke shrugged.

 

"Okay, then, gentlemen," Gregory said as he got up from his seat to shake Catterall's and Burke's hands. "Thank you again for taking the time to meet us. We look forward to working with you for another few years."

 

"We won't let you down," Catterall smiled.

 

Whiteman then told the England manager, "And may you have a wonderful holiday in Hayling Island with your family, Mr Catterall. Daphne and I had a splendid time out there many years ago, when our children were still young enough to enjoy the beaches."

 

As that meeting was finishing, the England Under-19s team were arriving at Heathrow Airport, having flown out from Finland earlier that morning. A few hours later, Matthew Wells and the rest of his coaching staff were at Wembley, where Catterall discussed their futures with them.

 

After two years as head coach, Wells was informed that his services were no longer required by the FA. Although the 29-year-old had shown great potential over the past 24 months, he'd perhaps been thrown into the job a bit too early.

 

Wells would be succeeded by defensive coach King, who had worked with him for Tottenham Hotspur as well as the England Under-19s. Catterall felt that the 37-year-old - with his 21 senior caps and a fierce determination to succeed - would thrive in this new role and inspire the next batch of young England internationals.

 

Mark Beeney and Frank Lampard agreed to continue coaching the Under-19s alongside King. They would soon be joined by a new defensive coach in ex-England centre-half Des Walker - a veteran of 59 international matches between 1988 and 1993. The 52-year-old Nottingham Forest legend had been working as an Under-18s coach at Derby County until recently.

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2017/2018 Season Summary

 

Premier League

Final Table

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C/CL  Man Utd                38    25    9     4     77    29    48    84
2.    CL    Chelsea                38    23    6     9     58    32    26    75
3.    CL    Arsenal                38    22    9     7     63    40    23    75
4.    CL    Man City               38    21    8     9     69    37    32    71
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.    EL    Tottenham              38    21    6     11    76    52    24    69
6.    EL    Liverpool              38    18    8     12    73    54    19    62
7.    EL    Watford                38    18    8     12    49    46    3     62
8.          Southampton            38    16    9     13    54    47    7     57
9.          Newcastle              38    16    6     16    76    69    7     54
10.         Everton                38    13    12    13    54    45    9     51
11.         Leicester              38    12    13    13    51    59    -8    49
12.         Sunderland             38    12    12    14    48    56    -8    48
13.         Stoke                  38    12    11    15    47    48    -1    47
14.         Crystal Palace         38    9     11    18    34    49    -15   38
15.         Norwich                38    10    7     21    36    62    -26   37
16.         Bournemouth            38    9     10    19    46    75    -29   37
17.         Huddersfield           38    8     11    19    23    51    -28   35
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.   R     Burnley                38    6     14    18    33    60    -27   32
19.   R     Swansea                38    7     10    21    39    71    -32   31
20.   R     West Ham               38    5     14    19    39    63    -24   29

 

Awards

PFA Player of the Year: Sergio Agüero (Man City)

FWA Footballer of the Year: Sergio Agüero (Man City)

PFA Young Player of the Year: Ayoze Pérez (Newcastle)

Golden Boot: Sergio Agüero (Man City, 28 goals)

Manager of the Year: José Mourinho (Man Utd)

PFA Team of the Year: David De Gea (Man Utd); Héctor Bellerín (Arsenal), David Luiz (Chelsea), Vincent Kompany (Man City), Jordi Alba (Man City); Kevin De Bruyne (Man City), Ayoze Pérez (Newcastle), Marco Benassi (Southampton), Anthony Martial (Man Utd); Sergio Agüero (Man City), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Man Utd)

 

Managerial Movements

Newcastle - Rafa Benítez moved to Arsenal on 29 June; David Wagner appointed on 16 July

Huddersfield - David Wagner moved to Newcastle on 16 July; Vitor Pereira appointed on 31 July

Swansea - Roberto Di Matteo sacked on 20 November; Lee Johnson appointed on 7 December

Leicester - Şenol Güneş sacked on 9 December; Brendan Rodgers appointed on 27 December

West Ham - Slaven Bilic sacked on 10 December; Chris Wilder appointed on 26 December

Norwich - Alex Neil sacked on 30 December; Mark Hughes appointed on 13 January

Liverpool - Jürgen Klopp sacked on 20 January; Roberto Mancini appointed on 1 February

Burnley - Sean Dyche sacked on 17 March; Oleg Blokhin appointed on 7 April

Stoke - Fernando Hierro sacked on 7 April; Marcelino appointed on 23 April

Swansea - Lee Johnson sacked on 13 May; Sean Dyche appointed on 8 June

 

Leading Transfers

DATE        NAME                      POSITIONS           FROM            TO              FEE (POTENTIAL)
01/07/2017  Antoine Griezmann         AM (LC), ST (C)     Atlético        Man City        £67M
01/07/2017  Bernardo Silva            AM (RC)             Monaco          Man Utd         £55M
14/06/2017  Callum Wilson             ST (C)              Bournemouth     Chelsea         £44.5M (£62M)
01/07/2017  Marek Hamsik              M/AM (C)            Napoli          Chelsea         £42M (£58M)
24/07/2017  Mateo Musacchio           D (C)               Villarreal      Chelsea         £39M
10/07/2017  Asier Illarramendi        DM, M (C)           Real Sociedad   Man City        £34.5M
01/07/2017  Nélson Semedo             D (R)               Benfica         Man City        £34.5M (£52M)
31/08/2017  Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain   AM (R)              Arsenal         Liverpool       £32.5M (£50M)
31/08/2017  Samu Castillejo           M (L), AM (RL)      Villarreal      Arsenal         £31M
28/07/2017  Corentin Tolisso          DM, M (C)           Lyon            Man Utd         £30.5M (£43M)

 

Also in England

Championship

Promoted: Reading (1st), Brighton (2nd), QPR (4th)

Also in Play-Offs: West Brom (3rd), Sheff Wed (5th), Derby (6th)

Relegated: Bristol City (22nd), Sheff Utd (23rd), Millwall (24th)

 

League One

Promoted: Rotherham (1st), Preston (2nd), Walsall (3rd)

Also in Play-Offs: Bury (4th), Bolton (5th), Scunthorpe (6th)

Relegated: Swindon (21st), Northampton (22nd), Rochdale (23rd), Mansfield (24th)

 

League Two

Promoted: Wycombe (1st), Doncaster (2nd), Carlisle (3rd), Leyton Orient (6th)

Also in Play-Offs: Exeter (4th), Chesterfield (5th), Barnet (7th)

Relegated: Morecambe (23rd), Grimsby (24th)

 

National League

Promoted: Hartlepool (1st), Gateshead (2nd)

Also in Play-Offs: Forest Green (3rd), York (4th), Wrexham (5th)

Relegated: Sutton Utd (21st), Macclesfield (22nd), Bromley (23rd), Whitehawk (24th)

 

National League North

Promoted: AFC Telford (1st), Harrogate (5th)

Also in Play-Offs: AFC Fylde (2nd), Salford (3rd), Kidderminster (4th)

Relegated: Solihull Moors (20th), North Ferriby (21st), Kettering (22nd)

 

National League South

Promoted: Dulwich Hamlet (1st), Eastbourne Boro (3rd)

Also in Play-Offs: Maidenhead (2nd), Chelmsford (4th), Hemel Hempstead (5th)

Relegated: Wealdstone (20th), Chesham (21st), Poole (22nd)

 

Promoted from Regional Leagues

Basingstoke, Curzon Ashton, Hereford, King's Lynn, Kingstonian, Tonbridge

 

Domestic Cups

FA Cup: Man City 1-0 Arsenal

EFL Cup: Man City 5-2 Norwich

Community Shield: Tottenham 1-0 Chelsea

EFL Trophy: Fleetwood 2-0 Southend

FA Trophy: Forest Green 1-0 Sutton Utd

 

Europe

UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid 1-0 Man Utd - at NSC Olympiyskyi, Kiev

UEFA Europa League: Inter 2-1 Sporting - at Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu

UEFA Super Cup: Real Madrid 2-0 Porto - at Philip II Arena, Skopje

 

Awards

Best Player in Europe: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

Golden Shoe: Sergio Agüero (Man City)

Golden Boy: Julian Brandt (Leverkusen)

 

Dutch Eredivisie

Top Three: PSV (1st), Feyenoord (2nd), Ajax (3rd)

Relegated: ADO Den Haag (17th), Fortuna (18th)

Promoted from Eerste Divisie: Willem II, FC Emmen

 

French Ligue 1

Top Three: PSG (1st), Monaco (2nd), Lyon (3rd)

Relegated: Strasbourg (18th), Lorient (19th), Clermont (20th)

Promoted from Ligue 2: Caen, Lens, Sochaux

 

German Bundesliga

Top Three: Bayern (1st), Dortmund (2nd), Leverkusen (3rd)

Relegated: HSV (16th), Frankfurt (17th), Ingolstadt (18th)

Promoted from 2. Bundesliga: Hannover, Düsseldorf, Darmstadt

 

Italian Serie A

Top Three: Napoli (1st), Juventus (2nd), Roma (3rd)

Relegated: SPAL (18th), Atalanta (19th), Verona (20th)

Promoted from Serie B: Palermo, Ternana, Pescara

 

Portuguese Primeira Liga

Top Three: Benfica (1st), Sporting (2nd), Porto (3rd)

Relegated: Estoril (17th), Varzim (18th)

Promoted from LigaPro: Feirense, Portimonense

 

Russian Premier League

Top Three: Krasnodar (1st), CSKA Moscow (2nd), Spartak Moscow (3rd)

Relegated: Ural (14th), Dinamo Moscow (15th), Amkar (16th)

Promoted from FNL: Fakel, Mordovia, Tosno

 

Scottish Premiership

Top Three: Celtic (1st), Rangers (2nd), Hearts (3rd)

Relegated: Raith (11th), Partick Thistle (12th)

Promoted from Championship: Dundee Utd, Kilmarnock

 

Spanish La Liga

Top Three: Real Madrid (1st), Barcelona (2nd), Atlético (3rd)

Relegated: Osasuna (18th), Getafe (19th), Oviedo (20th)

Promoted from La Liga 2: Deportivo, Elche, Almería

 

Global

FIFA Club World Cup: Real Madrid 2-0 Universidad Católica - at Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi

 

Awards

Ballon d'Or: 1st - Lionel Messi (Barcelona), 2nd - Neymar (Barcelona), 3rd - Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

FIFA World Player of the Year: 1st - Lionel Messi (Barcelona), 2nd - Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), 3rd - Neymar (Barcelona)

World Soccer World Player of the Year: 1st - Lionel Messi (Barcelona), 2nd - Neymar (Barcelona), 3rd - Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

FIFA/FIFPro World XI: Manuel Neuer (Bayern); Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Raphaël Varane (Real Madrid), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), David Alaba (Bayern); Eden Hazard (PSG), Kevin De Bruyne (Man City); Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Neymar (Barcelona); Sergio Agüero (Man City)

 

Leading Transfers (not including Premier League)

DATE        NAME                      POSITIONS           FROM            TO              FEE (POTENTIAL)
16/06/2017  Eden Hazard               AM (LC)             Chelsea         PSG             £84M
19/07/2017  Karim Bellarabi           M/AM (RL)           Leverkusen      Bayern          £52M (£69M)
26/06/2017  Riyad Mahrez              M/AM (R)            Leicester       Guangzhou       £40M
07/07/2017  César Azpilicueta         D (RLC)             Chelsea         Bayern          £39.5M (£52M)
09/01/2018  Mauro Icardi              ST (C)              Inter           Real Madrid     £35.5M (£49M)
04/08/2017  Theo Bongonda             AM (RL)             Celta           Dortmund        £35M
20/07/2017  Alex Grimaldo             D/WB (L)            Benfica         PSG             £33M (£49.5M)
08/08/2017  Daley Blind               D (LC), DM, M (C)   Man Utd         Real Madrid     £30.5M (£40M)
14/07/2017  Iñigo Martínez            D (C)               Real Sociedad   Barcelona       £27.5M
16/07/2017  Arkadiusz Milik           ST (C)              Napoli          Dortmund        £27.5M (£35.5M)

 

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And that's a wrap for the second season of 'An Impossible Man'.

This story is now on indefinite hiatus until later this year, and will probably return sometime in the spring. When it does return, I'll hope to update the story on a more regular basis than previously.

In the meantime, I'll strive to make the next few seasons of 'AIM' better and more story-driven in comparison to the first two. Any feedback is more than welcome.

Christopher Fuller (CFuller)
8 February 2018

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hace 2 horas, CFuller dijo:

FIFA Club World Cup: Real Madrid 2-0 Universidad Católica - at Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Bahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Another tournament for Católica to end up second in!

 

hace 2 horas, CFuller dijo:

And that's a wrap for the second season of 'An Impossible Man'.

This story is now on indefinite hiatus until later this year, and will probably return sometime in the spring. When it does return, I'll hope to update the story on a more regular basis than previously.

In the meantime, I'll strive to make the next few seasons of 'AIM' better and more story-driven in comparison to the first two. Any feedback is more than welcome.

Christopher Fuller (CFuller)
8 February 2018

I'll be waiting, then. :)

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3 minutes ago, ChileanRanger said:

Bahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Another tournament for Católica to end up second in!

Erm... the reason why they even got there is because they finished higher than second at the Copa Libertadores. ;)

3 minutes ago, ChileanRanger said:

I'll be waiting, then. :)

Thank you for your patience. The next few weeks will be quite hectic for me, hence the need for me to take some time out from this.

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hace 4 minutos, CFuller dijo:

Erm... the reason why they even got there is because they finished higher than second at the Copa Libertadores. ;)

Yeah, but they already had a 2nd place in Copa Libertadores(1993) so this just adds another 2nd place to their already impressive amount of 2nd places.

There's a reason why there's a joke about Chilean gear sticks having 'UC' instead of a 2.

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5 minutes ago, Drogba11CFC said:

I sincerely hope Chelsea made PSG break the bank for Hazard at any rate. As in £200M at the very least.

£84million - the biggest deal done in this save so far. It's peanuts in today's terms, but it sounded about right from an FM17 perspective.

That said, if Chelsea had held onto Hazard for another year, they could probably have got at least £100million for a proven world champion.

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  • 2 months later...

Chapter 21 - A Whole New Ball Game

 

It was a warm August afternoon at St George's Park. England manager Mark Catterall was just getting back into the swing of things, following the high of guiding the Three Lions through their best FIFA World Cup campaign since 1966, and then the low of watching the Under-19s' penalty shoot-out defeat in their European Championship Semi Final.

 

Catterall would soon have to prepare for another major competition with the senior team. The brand-new UEFA Nations League - which would be played in every season following a major tournament - was about to get underway, with the first matches taking place in September.

 

Catterall was aware of this new event, but he couldn't get his head around the complicated format. He therefore sought some clarity from someone who was rather more well-versed in that subject.

 

"Good afternoon, David," Catterall said as he began a Skype videolink call with David Whiteman - the Football Association's genial chief executive.

 

"It is indeed a good afternoon, Mr Catterall," Whiteman said. "I can hear you perfectly, and I can see you vividly."

 

"I take it this is your first time using Skype."

 

"This is my second time, to tell you the truth. My eldest granddaughter introduced me to this wonderful invention last spring, whilst she was on a gap-year sojourn in Peru. I have to say that technology has advanced so extraordinarily quickly since I was in short trousers. I can still recall when people sent telegrams instead of electronic mail!"

 

"We just call it email, David," Catterall corrected Whiteman. "Anyway, I need to pick your brains."

 

"Very well, Mr Catterall. I am all ears."

 

"This Nations League malarkey... how exactly does it work?"

 

"Ah, Mr Catterall, if you want an explanation of a tournament format, then you have come to the right place! After all, you are speaking to a gentleman who assisted the Football League in organising the Full Members' Cup in 1985," Whiteman said, referring to the cup competition that had been introduced after English clubs were banned from European events in the wake of the Heysel Stadium disaster. The competition ran for seven seasons until 1992.

 

Whiteman began, "All 55 UEFA national teams are divided into four divisions, according to their national team coefficient at the conclusion of the World Cup qualifiers. As one of the twelve highest-ranked teams, England have been allocated into Division A - the highest division.

 

"In Division A, the twelve teams are divided into four groups of three. Each team plays the other two teams in their group on a home-and-away basis on selected match days in September, October and November.

 

"The bottom teams in each group shall be relegated to Division B for the next Nations League campaign, with the four group winners in Division B taking their places in Division A. This promotion and relegation system also applies in the lower divisions.

 

"Meanwhile, the four group winners in Division A will contest a knockout competition at a randomly-selected host nation in June. Two Semi Finals and a Final will be played to determine who wins the UEFA Nations Cup."

 

So far, so reasonably simple. However, when it came to qualification for UEFA Euro 2020, things would soon get very complicated, as Whiteman explained to Catterall.

 

"For that qualifying competition, the 55 nations are to be divided into 10 groups of either five or six teams. All group matches will be played out in one year, and the top two teams in each group at the conclusion will qualify for the European Championship."

 

"But hang on, David," Catterall interrupted. "That only makes 20 teams. Where would the other four teams come from?"

 

Whiteman warned, "Mr Catterall, I hope that you are listening very carefully, because the answer is not that straightforward.

 

"Each of the four Nations League divisions are allocated one qualification place for the European Championship. The top four teams from each division which have not automatically qualified for the European finals will compete in a play-off competition for their respective division's qualification place. These will consist of two Semi Finals, followed by a Final."

 

Catterall was even more confused. "But let's assume that everyone in Division A qualifies automatically. Where do their play-off places go?"

 

Whiteman answered, "If fewer than four teams in Division A have not automatically qualified for the European Championship, then teams will be moved up from Division B to compete in their play-offs."

 

"Ah, so this is an alternative way to get into the Euros if you somehow cock up the main qualifiers?"

 

"Although I would personally not describe it in such blunt terms, you are indeed correct."

 

"And every division gets a qualification place, so even crap teams in the bottom division - like Luxembourg or San Marino or Scotland - can qualify for the Euros?"

 

"Why, yes, although I am obliged to point out that Scotland are in fact in Division C, and not Division D, as you might suspect."

 

"Don't worry," Catterall laughed before saying, with his tongue firmly in his cheek, "I'm sure they'll be relegated before too long!"

 

The groups for the inaugural Nations League had been drawn in June, shortly before the World Cup got underway. As it transpired, England's group was particularly intriguing:

 

2018/2019 UEFA Nations League Division A draw

GROUP 1: Belgium, Germany, Sweden

GROUP 2: Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland

GROUP 3: England, France, Russia

GROUP 4: Croatia, Italy, Portugal

 

By an amusing coincidence, this draw had thrown together the teams that would go on to finish 2nd and 3rd at the World Cup.

 

France had been 90 minutes away from winning their second global championship, only to be comprehensively beaten by a Dries Mertens-inspired Belgium in the Final at the Luzhniki. Didier Deschamps and his team were now ready to bounce back and seek victory in their next competition.

 

England and France would also return to Moscow over the autumn, having been drawn against the World Cup hosts. Russia had been knocked out at the Last 16 stage by Les Bleus, and revenge would be as much on their minds as battling to avoid relegation to Division B.

 

Funnily enough, the opening match in Group 3 would indeed be Russia vs France at the Luzhniki on 7 September. Four days later, France would return home to Saint-Denis for the visit of England.

 

The Three Lions' first home match in the Nations League would take place at Wembley against Russia on 12 October. From there, the Russians would head across the Channel to take on France again four days later.

 

England would conclude the Group Stage by visiting Russia on 16 November, and hosting France on 20 November. Once those final matches had been played, everyone would know who would advance to June's Semi Finals, who would drop down a division for 2020/2021, and who would simply stay put.

 

As well as their four Nations League matches, England would also play two friendly internationals on their free days. Catterall had arranged for his team to play against Austria in Vienna on 7 September, ahead of their opening encounter with France. The Three Lions would then welcome the United States to Wembley on 16 October, for the first Anglo-American clash in eight years.

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***

 

"Okay, Luke. Your next word - there. As in, 'look over there'."

 

Jenny Catterall was assisting her son Luke with some Braille homework that his school had assigned him for the summer holidays. The pair were sitting at the kitchen table, where Luke was using a Braille typewriter.

 

As he slowly located and pressed the keys, Luke sounded out, "T... H... E... R... E... There."

 

"That is good, Luke," Jenny said. "It's important that you know the difference between 'look over there' and 'look at their car'."

 

Luke smiled, "I'm getting there. T-h-e-i-r."

 

As Jenny was about to correct him, Luke laughed, "Only kidding!"

 

Luke and Jenny then heard their dad and husband Mark call out, "I'm home!" He then walked into the kitchen, where Jenny got up to kiss him.

 

"How was your day?" she asked.

 

"Yeah, it was alright. Wish I could say the same about the traffic. It was murder getting back from St George's!"

 

"Tell me about it! I spent half an hour in a jam today trying to get to a client! And when I got there, he told me his autistic nephew had fixed his bloody computer instead!"

 

Mark then gently ruffled his son's hair as he asked, "And how was your day at summer camp, Luke?"

 

"Great! We had swimming today. Something really funny happened with Adam Marley. He forgot his swimming kit, so the teacher made him swim in his pants!"

 

"Blimey, that ain't good! Y'know, Harry Kane forgot his training kit once, and I warned him he'd be doing exactly the same thing if he forg-!"

 

Mark was then interrupted as his mobile phone rang out of the blue. He didn't recognise the caller number, and he hesitated before answering the call, "Hello?"

 

Jenny quietly hissed, "Can you take that elsewhere, please?"

 

Mark nodded as he walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. He asked, "Who's calling?"

 

The caller replied in a strong Angolan Portuguese accent, "This is Gil Gomes. I am the father of Angel Gomes, and also his agent."

 

"I see. Why are you calling me? More to the point, why have you got my number?"

 

"I want to talk about Angel, and why he did not play at the European Under-19s Championship."

 

Mark sighed as he fretted over what to say. London-born midfielder Angel Gomes was one of the most exciting prospects at Manchester United's academy, and Catterall had selected him for England's Under-19s for a couple of friendlies in late 2017. However, Gomes did not impress, and Catterall hadn't picked him since.

 

"He wasn't ready," Mark told Gil. "He's only played a couple of games for our Under-19s. Rest assured, I'll give him more opportunities this season."

 

"No, you won't," Gil stated.

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"Angel has decided that he wants to play for Portugal from now on. He thinks that England have not given him a fair chance, so he will follow in my footsteps and represent Portugal instead."

 

Though born in Angola, Gil grew up in Portugal and represented the Esperanças as a striker at various youth levels. He won 19 caps for the Under-21s, but never graduated to the senior team as he spent the remainder of his career playing semi-professionally.

 

Mark was stunned. "Are you serious? Angel was born and bred in England! He's one of the most exciting talents this country has produced!"

 

"Not anymore," Gil growled. "I'm sorry it has come to this, but our decision is final."

 

Mark growled, "Believe me, Gil, you are making a big mistake! Angel's international career could be ruined because of your impatience!"

 

"Goodbye, Mr Catterall," Gil replied, before hanging up. An exasperated Mark stormed back into the kitchen and told Jenny, "You'll never guess who that was!"

 

"Who was it?"

 

"Angel Gomes' dad."

 

Jenny asked, "Who the heck is Angel Gomes?"

 

"You know, that midfielder in Man United's youth team..."

 

Jenny stated, "I may be a United fan, Mark, but I don't know every player at the academy."

 

Luke said, "I know who Angel Gomes is. My friend Zaqi at school says he's gonna be a brilliant player one day."

 

"Yeah, well... if he is, then he won't be playing for England. His dad's just phoned me up to say that Angel has 'chosen' to play for Portugal. The bast-"

 

Jenny yelled, "LANGUAGE, MARK!"

 

"The BUZZARD!" Mark quickly corrected himself. "Yeah, that conniving bird of prey has convinced Angel to switch to his old man's team instead! Yeah, forget the fact that Angel was born in London and grew up in Manchester!"

 

Jenny said, "Don't get yourself all stressed out over this, Mark. There are plenty more fish in the sea..."

 

"Like Phil Foden at Man City," Luke suggested.

 

"I'm not sure, son," Mark shook his head. "City have got much better prospects than him. Foden will probably be lucky to get a game for Oldham Athletic when he's 21."

 

Mark then heard his phone ring once again, prompting him to grumble, "Oh, for fu... for frig's sake!"

 

As Mark answered the call and returned to the living room, Luke asked Jenny, "Who is Frig?"

 

Jenny stammered, "It's... it's just an expression, Luke. It's something people say... when they're angry, and they're trying really hard not to swear."

 

"Ah, so it's like when people shout 'Berahino', then?"

 

"Yeah," Jenny laughed. "It's like Saido Berahino."

 

Jenny then resumed helping Luke with his homework. About five minutes later, Mark came back into the room, having ended his latest phone call.

 

Jenny turned back to her husband and asked, "And who was that?"

 

Mark said, "That was Katherine. My ex-wife."

 

"Okay?"

 

"She wants us to meet up in Cheshire, tomorrow night. It's about Ashley."

 

"Ashley? Who's that?" Luke asked.

 

Mark took a deep intake of breath and sat down beside Luke, gently putting his right hand on his son's left shoulder. He said, "I haven't told you this before, Luke, but I think you're old enough now to know the truth.

 

"Before I met your mother, I was married to another woman - that's Katherine. Anyway, we had a daughter together. Her name's Ashley, she's 17 years old, and she... is your half-sister."

 

Luke gasped, "Wow! I didn't know I had a sister! But why didn't you tell me before?"

 

Mark explained, "I didn't tell you because me and Kat divorced a long time ago. I haven't seen her or Ashley since before you were born. But now it looks like we're going to meet up again! Isn't that great?"

 

"That sounds fantastic!" Jenny said. "I bet you can't wait to see her all grown up."

 

"I'm excited, but also a bit scared. I'm like, what will Ashley think of me? Will she resent me for... what happened?"

 

"I'm no psychologist, but if Kat's got back in touch and willing to let you see Ashley again, that's surely a good sign. Kat wouldn't consider it if she knew Ashley wasn't going to be happy about it, would she?"

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3 minutes ago, CFuller said:

 

Jenny stammered, "It's... it's just an expression, Luke. It's something people say... when they're angry, and they're trying really hard not to swear."

 

"Ah, so it's like when people shout 'Berahino', then?"

 

"Yeah," Jenny laughed. "It's like Saido Berahino."

 

 

Just nearly spat my drink all over my laptop :lol:

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