Will England’s World Cup semi-final be a poisoned chalice?

England’s run to the last four captivated the nation, but history suggests it could be a one-off

England World Cup
England’s players face up to defeat in the World Cup semi-final
(Image credit: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

England’s footballers returned home from the World Cup on Sunday with little fanfare, flying into Birmingham airport before slipping away to reunions with their families.

Although Gareth Southgate’s players confounded all expectations in Russia by making the semi-finals, their homecoming “perfectly summed up the manager and his understated, modest, coherent approach”, says Jim White in The Daily Telegraph. “There was no parade, no welcome committee, no pictures snapped on the steps of Number Ten.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up