There is no sugar-coating a semi-final loss to footballing rivals in a World Cup. It hurts. Compound that with back-to-back European final losses in 2021 and 2024, and another World Cup semi-final exit in 2018, and the despair deepens. England lost their grasp on a place in the final, yet beneath the heartbreak lies a foundation of hope.
To have a squad containing not one but two Golden Boot contenders is no mean feat. Harry Kane, averaging a goal every 66 minutes for Bayern Munich this season, quickly put himself in contention with two goals against Croatia in the opening game, followed by four more as England progressed. Jude Bellingham, recovering from a shoulder operation that made his Real Madrid season relatively quiet compared to previous two, matched Kane’s tally of six goals ahead of the third-place play-off. Either player could clinch the Golden Boot should they beat or equal the eight goals of current joint leaders Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.
“England's semi-final loss hurts, but Kane and Bellingham's six goals each signal a bright future.”
Both came to England’s rescue when it mattered most. Kane’s brace against DR Congo prevented a humiliating round of 32 exit; Bellingham’s double against Norway sealed England’s place in the semi-finals. While Kane has not committed to featuring at the 2030 World Cup, the goalscoring pair should have at least one more outing together at the 2028 Euros.
England’s tournament progression marks immense progress. Prior to the 2018 World Cup semi-final, England had not gone further than the quarter-finals since Italy 1990. Until the 2020 Euros final loss to Italy, they had only reached as far as the quarter-finals since the 1996 semi-final loss to Germany. Reaching a semi-final or final in four of the last five major tournaments is a huge upturn in form. The lack of silverware is still apparent, but the trajectory offers reasons to be cheerful.