World Cup

[monks data]

Attendance: 78,011

World Cup | Semi-Finals

Jul 11, 2018 at 7pm UK

Croatia
2-1
England

Perisic (68'), Mandzukic (109')

FT
(aet)

Trippier (5')

Jurgen Klinsmann: 'England World Cup triumph would restore pride to nation'

By Giuseppe Labellarte, Reporter | 10 July 2018

Jurgen Klinsmann believes that a World Cup win for England would "definitely restore some pride" to the nation as it did for his native Germany four years ago.

Jurgen Klinsmann has claimed that a World Cup win for England would "definitely restore some pride" to the nation as it did for his native Germany four years ago.

The Three Lions are in the semi-finals of Russia 2018, with Croatia standing between them and a spot in Sunday's final against France.

Klinsmann urged England to "seize this opportunity" and stated that a first World Cup victory since 1966 "would have an indescribable effect" on the entire country.

"The England players will not panic, they have proved that," Klinsmann wrote in his BBC Sport column. "I want to see you go for it, and seize this opportunity.

"If you do go on to win the tournament - and I hope you do - it would have an indescribable effect.

Winning a World Cup can almost reboot a whole nation. I am not talking politically, because you have a lot going on there at the moment, but it will definitely restore some pride.

It did exactly that for Germany in 2014, when the public saw themselves in the faces of all the players, and I would love to see the same thing happen for England too."

England last reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in 1990.