England supporters in Russia still confident Southgate's men can win World Cup

Not over yet: Fans are still confident England have a winning chance
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England supporters and players in Russia were still confident of the team’s World Cup chances today despite defeat against Belgium.

Thousands of fans made the trip to Kaliningrad for the final Group G game last night and decked out the city’s main square with St George’s flags.

Many woke with sore heads today as they prepared to go home or move on to Moscow, where England face a tricky last-16 match with Colombia on Tuesday.

Sam Butler and his brother Matt were contemplating returning to Russia if England can overcome the South Americans. Sam, 24, said: “We are going to win the whole thing and add a second star above the three lions. It’s the hope that kills you — but I think we can do it this time.”

Matt, 26, a London-based doctor, said: “I’ll stick to my guns and say we will make the quarter finals. But football does make you dream big.”

England fans in Kalingrad after a clash with Belgium
Jeremy Selwyn

England boss Gareth Southgate made eight changes for the Belgium game, leaving the tournament’s leading scorer, Harry Kane, on the bench.

Victory would have pitted England against Japan, ranked 61 in the world, but the 1-0 defeat offers what appears a more favourable route through the knockout rounds — if they can get past Colombia.

Defender Harry Maguire, said: “If you had said we’d get to the knockout stages early on, we would have taken it. We are a good team, we know that and we are confident, if we play like we did in the first two games, we are capable of winning.”

Southgate has described the Colombia match as England’s “biggest game for a decade.”

Huge crowds blocked streets in central London
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Leicester City fans Geoff Lodge, 28, and wife Samantha, 29, both engineers from Somerset, partied into the night near Victory Square in Kaliningrad. Mr Lodge said: “We have a great chance against Colombia. There are only four games left and I think we can do this.”

Mrs Lodge said: “I had no idea what sort of result I wanted beforehand. We lost but we don’t have to go all the way to Rostov now and it’s an easier route to the final. I am happy.”

Henry Hill, 23, from Guildford, who runs the Alpes bar at Pop Brixton, watched the games against Tunisia and Panama on TV in London before flying to Russia. He said: “It was a beautiful day for a game of football but maybe not the result. But I think it will work out well.”

In Pictures | England vs Belgium, World Cup | 28/06/2018

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Liam Hawkins, 22, a Putney-based marketing executive, said: “I said we’d get to the quarter finals but I’d now say it’s the semi-finals at least. When we win the World Cup I want a national holiday.”

Angus Mainland, 23, who works in sports sponsorship and lives in Balham, arrived in Kaliningrad yesterday via Lithuania, having spent hundreds of pounds on travel and accommodation. He said: “I think it could be an England versus Belgium final and with Harry Kane we will turn them over. It’s been an expensive trip for one game but really has been worth every penny.

“If we get to the semi-finals I’m booking a flight back out here because this experience is on another level.” Belgium fans had mixed feelings last night. The team face Japan in the heat of Rostov on Monday — and then a potential quarter-final clash with favourites Brazil.

John Brusselmans, a 37-year-old construction worker from Ghent, said: “We won, that’s good, but we paid all that money to watch our B-team. So I’m a bit disappointed. But we will be partying until after the sun comes up.”

Jochen Stevens, 32, also from Ghent, said: “To be world champions you have to beat everyone so there’s no point in worrying about an easy route to the final. We have had fun with the England fans and the atmosphere was so great.”

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