World Cup 2018: England coach rues missed chance in Croatia defeat

England coach Gareth Southgate was left ruing his side’s failure to take their chances after the 2-1 World Cup semifinal defeat by Croatia.

After taking an early lead, England squandered a glut of chances in the first half they dominated.

Instead Croatia , who controlled possession, struck an extra time winner through Mario Mandzukic. Perisic had fou d the equalizer earlier in the second half.

England were bidding to claim a first title since 1966, but although they fell short, Southgate said they had done everything in their power to win.

“First half we were really good and we had chances,” Southgate told ITV Sport . “We lost our way a bit after their goal. Possibly at that moment we were hanging on a bit rather than trying to control the game.

“We got the control back in extra time and showed composure. Knockout football is fine margins. When you have spells in a game against a quality side you have to make them count. We needed a second goal.

“I think we were looking at how we might stem the tide but there weren’t clear changes we could make to change it. We just needed to show more composure. We stopped playing for a period of 20 minutes in the second half.”

England will now settle for third-place playoff against Belgium while Croatia will Face France in the final.

Copyright © Soccer24, 2024. All Rights Reserved
NEWS MATCHCENTRE TABLES VIDEOS