World Cup Diary - Day 12: England heat things up in Nizhny as hopes and temperatures rise

For almost two weeks I have managed to avoid covering England. I get far too nervous when watching them, and having been present at every England game in the last World Cup, as well and against Iceland in Nice, I have not had the greatest of experiences.

England fans numbers were lower than usual, which was quite detrimental to the atmosphere. The other contributing factor to a more subdued England following was the heat in Nizhny Novgorod.

A heatwave had followed the Three Lions, with temperatures climbing above 30 degrees as we approached the 3pm kick off time.

Panama fans were in fine voice all day, enjoying their moment in the sun. The fans I spoke to certainly were not confident of keeping England quiet for long.

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One England fan I spoke to was enjoying his celebrity status, but not in its usual form. Arsenal Fan TV’s Robbie posed for pictures with his army of fans, but I managed to grab a quick word nonetheless. He refused to admit football was coming home, so I left him to it.

The match itself did not disappoint. As a contest it did, of course, but England were rampant, and got all of our pulses racing.

It was certainly a strange second half, with the job done. Talk in the press box was actually of encouragement for Panama, which would help England to finish second in the group, rather than top it, to ensure a more favourable draw in the latter rounds of the tournament.

I managed to grab a word with Kieran Trippier after the game, who was very complementary of the new England system. He’s not wrong – as fluid as England have looked for some time, and yes, I am aware it was just Panama.

With an overnight train to come I had time to kill, but in a city of Nizhny’s beauty, there is never a moment wasted.

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After a hearty Georgian meal – a cuisine I cannot get enough of – I head for a walk to take in some more sights and sounds of this awesome city, before then picking up my bag and heading for my 3am train.

One of the few positives about taking such an early train is that I just go straight to sleep. No awkward conversations with Russians, just straight onto the top bunk and sleep. Portugal v Iran in the bustling metropolis that is Saransk – famous for its gulag history – is up next.

This World Cup just keeps on entertaining, and I am sure this game will be no exception. What’s more, I would not to get the chance to visit Saransk for anything else – lets just hope I make it out the other side…