Refocus boys! England's World Cup heroes issue rallying cry as they swap rain-swept training base for 30C Samara for quarter-final

Harry Kane at training on Friday
Getty Images

England's World Cup heroes issued a stirring rallying cry today as they swapped their rain-swept training base for the cauldron of Samara for tomorrow’s quarter-final clash with Sweden.

Captain Harry Kane tweeted one word: “Refocus” with the hashtags #WorldCup #QuarterFinal #ThreeLions before he led the squad out for a final training session in Repino during a downpour.

Meanwhile, Theresa May wished the team luck for a victory that would take England to their first World Cup semi-final since 1990.

The Prime Minister said: “I know the whole country will be rooting for Gareth Southgate and the England team tomorrow.

"They’ve done brilliantly so far — and I wish them the very best of luck in going even further.”

In Pictures | England 2018 World Cup Training | 06.07.18

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All 23 members of the squad were on the rain-lashed pitch at Spartak Zelenogorsk, where England have been put through their paces for the last three weeks. They were flying 1,100 miles east to Samara in south-west Russia after lunchtime today, arriving at around 3pm London time — 24 hours before kick-off. While the mercury in Repino hovered around 14C, the players will have to endure high humidity and temperatures of up to 30C when they face Sweden.

Southgate looked on as the players divided into teams and played dodgeball. Ashley Young carried Marcus Rashford on his shoulders as they laughed and joked between drills. Jamie Vardy took part in the warm up session away from the rest of the squad.

The Leicester City striker injured his groin during extra time against Colombia and sat out yesterday’s behind-closed-doors session.

England fans go wild after victory over Colombia - In pictures

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The players wore waterproof jackets, leggings and hats while Kyle Walker donned a snood over his face.

Defender Kieran Trippier said: “On Saturday afternoon England fans will be buzzing and raring to go. It’s an early kick-off and hopefully we can put an even bigger smile on their faces.”

He added: “You see them on social media and it’s crazy. When Harry Kane scored against Tunisia in the last minute we saw people throwing pints everywhere in pubs. It means a lot for us to know how happy they are.

“It’s a young team and people might write us off but we want to write our own history. It’s another big game but we want to do well and create more scenes back home.” England have, however, drawn the short straw in Samara after being assigned a £60-a-night four-star hotel near a McDonald’s — while their opponents will stay at an opulent resort where caviar is on the menu.

Beach football in Samara on Thursday night
Jeremy Selwyn

Sweden will enjoy the five-star Lotte Hotel, where rooms start at £120 a night and have marble bathrooms.

Thousands of England fans have made the long and expensive journey to Samara. Mike Dobres and his friend Paul Selignon, sporting a bowler hat, believe this is England’s best chance for generations to be winners. Mr Selignon joked: “I would not miss this for the world, although if I stay out here much longer I not sure I’ll have a home to go back to. I really believe we can go all the way, this time it’s really our time.”

Spurs fan Fil Sollof, 53, said, “We’ve played some really good football so far in this tournament and if we can start scoring in open play and unlocking defences we’ve got a real chance to go all the way.” In remote Samara the number of fans attending the game is expected to be lower than the few thousand who watched the win over Colombia in Moscow.

Former England player Jamie Redknapp, whose arm is in a cast after injuring himself during a kickabout with friends, said: “Come on England — there’s never been a better opportunity, the way things have lined up for us... the time is now! We can do it!”

Additional reporting by Benedict Moore-Bridger and Alistair Foster

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