"Don't Look Back In Anger" - England fans' emotional praise following Croatia defeat

England fans stayed after the final whistle to pay tribute to their England heroes following a 2-1 defeat to Croatia in the World Cup semi-finals, belting out Oasis’s Don’t Look Back In Anger.

Gareth Southgate’s side took the lead through an early Kieran Trippier free kick, but a second half Ivan Perisic equaliser forced the game to extra time.

England held on despite losing their nerve, but Croatia broke them down once against in injury time when Mario Mandzukic grabbed the winner.

After the match, England’s fans stayed behind to praise their team. The supporters came together to sing the popular hit Don’t Look Back In Anger. The song has returned to prominence as a song of defiance, pride and resolution since the 2017 Manchester terror attack. BBC presenter, former England international and prominent Twitter user Gary Linker publicised the tribute:

England had surprised their followers, the nation and other observers with an impressive showing in the World Cup. An penalty shootout victory against Colombia put paid to a curse that England have suffered since beating Spain in Euro 1996 on penalties.

The quarter-final against Sweden saw England triumph with a relatively comfortable 2-0 win over Sweden, setting up Wednesday’s semi-final against Croatia.

While England have generally disappointed their fans in the recent past, there was a sea change in the relationship between Southgate’s side and the public.

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The country had come to a standstill to watch the game, with thousands of people gathering in Hyde Park and in other public venues across the country.