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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Will Unwin (now), Simon Burnton and Richard Parkin (earlier)

Fire alarms, fans and World Cup quarter-final buildup – as it happened

Fans prepare for the match in Samara.
Fans prepare for the match in Samara. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

Right, that is all from me on the day football came home.

But, do not worry, Barry Glendenning (who doesn’t hate England, by the way) is on hand to bring you all the very latest from Sweden v England.

Until we meet again.

“Is it ok that I’m drinking German lager while watching England take on Sweden?” Daniel asks.

It’s not ideal, Daniel, but we’ll just have to let it go.

Doremus has been on to get us in the mood for the match. . .

He writes

“This being the Guardian, I’m surprised no-one’s mentioned Sir Gareth of Arthurian legend (and this bit from Tennyson’s Idylls of the Kingwhich might apply to the latter-day Gareth’s relationship with certain newspapers):

“ Said Gareth, ‘Damsel, whether knave or knight,
Far liefer had I fight a score of times
Than hear thee so missay me and revile.
Fair words were best for him who fights for thee;
But truly foul are better, for they send
That strength of anger through mine arms, I know
That I shall overthrow him.’
(...)
‘ You said your say;
Mine answer was my deed. Good sooth! I hold
He scarce is knight, yea but half-man, nor meet
To fight for gentle damsel, he, who lets
His heart be stirred with any foolish heat
At any gentle damsel’s waywardness.
Shamed? care not! thy foul sayings fought for me:
And seeing now thy words are fair, methinks
There rides no knight, not Lancelot, his great self,
Hath force to quell me.’”

In brief Tennyson is trying to say: “It’s coming home!”

Here are both lineups

Anyway. . .back to the football.

The England team is in! Dele Alli is fit to start.

Elsewhere on Guardian Sport today

It’s not all about the football at Guardian HQ today. . .

We have the tennis with Jacob Steinberg (and me in a bit)

England v New Zealand in the first women’s ODI with Nick Miller, who has returned home from Russia

There’s the opening stage of the Tour de France with John Brewin

And the sad news that John Dunlop, Classic-winning trainer, has died aged 78

They’re on the pitch!

England players inspect the playing surface.
England players inspect the playing surface. Photograph: Lee Smith/Reuters

Gareth, who is in no way famous, has sent this in: “Speaking as a fellow Gareth who spends quite a bit of time overseas on business (where my name is not commonly known) I’m quite enjoying the sudden popularity and awareness Mr Southgate is bringing to our shared first name. It’s nice to be asked “what, like the England football manager?”, rather than “sorry, was that Gary or Gavin?”, all the time.”

Cheers for that, Gavin.

Stewart has done some research, he says: “On the subject of famous Gareths, there’s Saint Gareth the Unbeliever, who went about exposing false prophets. According to the internet, he is portrayed as a heavyset man with a scowl, standing atop a mound of fingerbones and splinters of wood.

“How unlike the home life of our own dear Gareth.”

You wouldn’t for a pint with Saint Gareth, would you?

This email from Nic arrived entitled ‘Sue Ryder is taking no prisoners’. I think he means Barker but the points stands: “Sue has just remarked on a person in the crowd at centre court wearing a Sweden hat, “That will be taken away soon enough.” I imagine right now she’s leaving the studio and clambering through the crowd ready to let them know what’s appropriate headwear on an Engerland match day...”

One assumes blue and yellow will be banned from the streets for the rest of the day.

Now that Belgium has loads of famous people, well-known Gareths are the true minority. . .

Adrian has a few more for us: “Limiting the field to English Gareths: Barry, Hunt, Malone, Pugh. There must be a Nescafé hand-shaking meme in there somewhere.”

Kiera points out how Mexico get their own back. . .

“Mexico has gone out in the round of 16 in the last 7 world cups. HOWEVER no team which has beaten Mexico in the round of 16 has gone on to the final...Moctezuma’s curse???”

A’rite Bojan, calm down, mate.

Grass update: it is being cut. . .

The pitch in Samara is being prepared.
The pitch in Samara is being prepared. Photograph: David Gray/Reuters

I have some bad news for you, mate, you look nothing like him.

Just had a text from my brother to say he’s gone out for tapas ahead of the game. Surely it should be meat pie or fish and chips washed down with a pint of John Smith’s!

Hola Justin!

“My adopted country of 11 years, Colombia, now hates me. “The ref sold the game” is the phrase I’ve been hearing constantly from friends family and neighbours, along references to the English diving, faking and complaining. And of course the infamous shove by Kane before being awarded the penalty. Plus the fact the ref only spoke English and was obviously in cahoots with his anglo-saxon friends.

“The poor Colombian boys were playing against 12 men and global imperialist priviledge to boot. This narrative is so strong that even my own footie-obsessed 10-year-old son, who previously cheered on England (as his second team) and chatted about Kane’s chances of the Golden boot, is now resolutely supporting Sweden. I will watch this game utterly alone.”

We still love you, Justin!

Boris/Red Fox loves a goal celebration, he says: “My mate Miles and I have often, when drink has been taken, re-enact Sol Campbell and Rio Ferdinand’s celebration after the former’s goal against Sweden in the 2002 WC. I take the Sol role, sprinting to the sidelines screaming my head off, while Miles as Rio leaps on my back and aggressively salutes the crowd. It’s an old and favourite routine, but like all routines needs some updating now and then, so we wouldn’t be amiss to a John Stones/Harry Maguire ’18 remix this afternoon.”

Could be a heavy one. . .

Krish, mate, this whole tournament is about believing, so the longer it goes on the better.

Paul wants to know some more Gareths, he asks: “As an American decidedly unsteeped in British knowledge, I know of only one other Gareth—he of the funeral in Four Weddings and a Funeral. That Gareth was, of course, remembered for his waistcoats. Be there other such?”

Keenan, Gates. . .ermmmmm. . . any more for any more?

There have been some wonderfully awful lookalikes over the years - I have fond memories of some bloke pretending he was James Beattie during a competent spell in his career. Any favourites?

After years in the wilderness Gareth Southgate ‘lookalikes’ are finally earning some coin.

Amod asks: “Posts full of optimism. Where has the fabled English pessimism gone mate??”

I’ve had eight cans, Amod.

It’s not all about looking forward to later, as we have some lovely Jonathan Wilson on your man Eden Hazard. . .

We have our first half-and-half scarf!

Fans in Samara prepare for the game.
Fans in Samara prepare for the game. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

Fair play to all the league teams who have moved their friendlies at short notice today to ensure people turn up to their matches and allow those attendees to watch England afterwards. Makes sense for all, unless you’re Liverpool who refused to reschedule their 3pm kick-off at Chester.

Early risers, like me, might crash and burn if it goes to pens. . .

From an English footballer in Sweden: Ostersund forward Jamie Hopcutt is happy to turn his back on the country which gives him a living, and rightly so.

I have already cancelled some social plans I made for Wednesday, which might be a bit premature. Have you done similar to ensure freedom for a potential Russia v Sweden semi-final? Or were you all more sensible and realised the significance.

Frankie says it’s coming home. . .

Everyone loves Slaphead Maguire. . .

Obviously, my love of Loftus-Cheek has gone too far, and I should point out, as it was earlier in this blog that Eric Dier would be the man to replace Dele Alli if he’s not able to take the field.

Not too late to select Ruben, Gareth.

Our Swedish *spits on floor* football editor Marcus Christenson feels this blog needs balance for some reason or other. . .but on the upside it is just another questionable World Cup song.

This Sweden fan has arrived with his ice hockey scarf, as Sweden can’t claim to having won any football World Championships. . .

A Sweden fan shows off his colours in Samara.
A Sweden fan shows off his colours in Samara. Photograph: Adam Davy/PA

World Cup fever has gripped Belfast!

The main question mark hanging over England is the fitness of Dele Alli. The midfielder is set for a fitness test ahead of the clash with Sweden. The Spurs player has not shone during the tournament, if we’re being honest, so Ruben Loftus-Cheek coming in might not be the worst thing to happen to England. I also think Loftus-Cheek proves better balance in the middle but maybe that’s just me.

Did anyone watch Salford City v Fleetwood on BT Sport last night rather than Brazil v Belgium last night? I want to find the one person who watched it. It would amuse me greatly.

Sadly, it has all gone wrong for John Barnes. . .

Good afternoon! I hope we all got up at 5.45am due to a mixture of excitement, World Cup fever and a very early Saturday shift here. Probably only me on the latter.

Anyway, I think it’s safe to say that today is pretty big. England are a better team than Sweden, so absolutely nothing can go wrong here.

Updated

I’m going to hand over to Will Unwin now, who will take you through the rest of the build-up to the start of the build-up to England v Sweden. Bye!

England are still in the World Cup, it’s matchday, and Sir Bobby Charlton is spending the afternoon at Wimbledon:

Sir Bobby Charlton at Wimbledon
Sir Bobby Charlton signs autographs for fans on day six of the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon. Photograph: Philip Toscano/PA

“I never thought I’d find myself defending “Big Sam”, but these are strange days indeed,” writes Richard Bedwell. “I’m a big fan of how Southgate has approached the England manager’s job and he seems like someone I’d much prefer to share a pint with down the pub but it’s unfair on Allardyce to accuse him of not bringing “intellectual rigour” to the table. He was every bit as responsible as Wenger for dragging English football kicking and screaming into the sports science era and did it on a much tighter budget.”

This is certainly true, but as his top-level career progressed I got the impression that Allardyce had developed and honed his methods, and that at some point he ceased changing or even questioning them.

John Hadvall tips me off about this Aftonbladet preview to the game, which concludes that England have “got it in the bag” and wishes them “all the best for the semifinal and final”, before introducing the predicted Swedish starting XI, which includes “the most injury prone player in Bundesliga history” and someone who is “literally a sh*t Jamie Vardy”. Nice work.

Shamelessly stolen from Bill Edgar’s excellent numbers column (£) in the Times: England have won five of their last eight World Cup games in which they have worn red, and one of their past eight in white. Today they wear red.

Updated

A unique opportunity to watch Rio Ferdinand shout at a mirror:

The first pictures of the day from Samara have landed, with fans already decked out and ready to go:

Sweden fans at the 2018 World Cup
Sweden’s supporters in Samara during the 2018 World Cup in a street. Photograph: Kirill Kukhmar/TASS

Croatia meanwhile have only played Russia three times, winning once and drawing the others.

Updated

The head-to-head record between England and Sweden could hardly be more balanced: after 23 games both teams have won seven and drawn nine. England have slightly outscored their rivals with 35 goals, to Sweden’s 31.

It looks like the Belgian papers were quite happy with their team’s performance yesterday:

“If nothing else, then we all owe a debt to whoever it is who got Sam Allardyce to shoot his mouth off and get sacked,” writes Charles Antaki. “Supposing that the England team he’d have managed had got this far (unlikely), the hubris and flag-waving would have been unbearable; as it is, with Southgate it’s at about acceptable levels. Also Sam would have looked ridiculous in a waistcoat.”

It’s hard to watch England’s progress through the tournament without thinking about how it might have gone with Allardyce in charge. We’ll never know, of course, but fundamentally the reason Southgate has succeeded (and whatever today’s result he has done that) is that he approached every element of his preparations with a kind of humility and intellectual rigour that Allardyce, like Capello, and most of the people who preceded him, would never have brought.

Updated

Pickford’s Euro 2012-era tweets are also quality. He was 18 then, with an 18-year-old’s preoccupations:

A key question answered: what was Jordan Pickford preoccupied by during the last World Cup?

Updated

“I wonder if now we could have some sort agreement amongst pundits and journalists that in the next major tournaments they don’t lazily and automatically put Brazil and Spain down as possible winners?” pleads David Penney. “Spain are no where near the team they were 8 years ago and Brazil have not been world class for 12 years. “Can we all just stop this now? Won’t someone think of the children?”

I don’t think any team came into the tournament in overwhelmingly positive fashion, but of them all Brazil’s build-up was probably the most positive. Their history might make them an obvious pick before any World Cup, but I don’t think they were a bad one on this occasion, and if yesterday’s match had gone only a little bit differently they would still be in the running.

“I’m in Sweden, surrounded by 1000 Swedes,” writes Steve Powell. “But I will be sporting traditional England Supporter attire this afternoon ... a bright pink sunburnt back.”

This is going a bit too far.

This tweet was apparently actually sent by the @visitstockholm Twitter account. It’s since been deleted:

Here’s another picture of the World Cup reaching distant corners of the world, in this case the village of Alua in Mozambique:

People watch the World Cup in Mozambique
Residents of the northern Mozambique village of Alua watch a live broadcast of a World Cup quarter final organised by the Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development with Mozambican organisations as part of Cinemarena. Photograph: Gianluigi Guercia/AFP/Getty Images

There is talk of there being 10,000 empty seats at the Samara Arena for the England game today. Looking at the ticketing website now, there is availability in Category 1 ($365 each) and Category 2 ($255 each). It’s the only match with tickets available at the moment.

News just in: England’s players have gone for a walk!

Here are some Brazil fans before and during yesterday’s World Cup quarter-final against Belgium. But where are they?

Fans watch Brazil’s World Cup quarter-final against Belgium
Fans watch Brazil’s World Cup quarter-final against Belgium. But where are they? Photograph: Anwar Amro/AFP/Getty Images
Brazil fans watch the World Cup
Children play football in the street, prior to the 2018 World Cup quarter-final between Brazil and Belgium. But where are they? Photograph: Anwar Amro/AFP/Getty Images

Answer: they’re in Arsal, a town 124km north-east of Beirut, Lebanon. They seem to have a thing about Brazil there.

Here’s Andrew Roth on Stanislav Cherchesov, the Russia manager:

Resembling a mustachioed police captain sent down to clean up a crooked precinct, the Osettian-born former goalkeeper has instituted his physical, inexhaustible style of football while rarely cracking a smile at pitchside. “I believe this is only the beginning so I have to save my emotions for the future,” he told reporters after Russia’s shock defeat of Spain, a match that looked thrilling in retrospect but largely came down to 120 minutes of football comparable to a war of attrition.

More here:

Important World Cup wager dept update. Weirdly, Beckham seems to have fled Twitter since this agreement was reached last night:

Barney Ronay has written about the wait list for World Cup press tickets:

Here are some things you may not know about Harry Kane, written by yours truly:

Hello world! I’ll start with a few front and back pages from today’s newspapers:

Alas, that’s all the time in the chair for me, Richard Parkin, today - to take you ever closer to Harry Kane’s next heroic chapter (and of course that other little matter taking place in Sochi later on) is the irrepressible Simon Burnton. Keep your emails, tweets and comments flying through on another day where we ask: is it coming home or going home?

Thanks for your company!

And so the slow build to England’s clash with Sweden begins, as the Three Lions attempt to reach the final four of a World Cup for just the third time in fifteen attempts.

And for supporters all around the world that heady cocktail of nerves and excitement begins to take grip in the very pit of your stomach.

Matt Honeycombe writes from the bottom of the earth with a novel approach ahead of today’s match:

Sun is going down here in New Zealand, slow cooking chicken wings in a Jamaican Jerk sauce with Carolina Reaper chillies - the hottest peppers in the world. We figure - get the pain out of the way and any of the potential England roller-coaster of hurt that may come will feel like nothing. Come on England!

I love it. Keep a little something up your sleeve, Matt, maybe a seed to rub into an eye to ensure the tears, either of rapture, pure agony, or a heady fusion of both, continue well after the full-time celebrations/commiserations begin.

But, of course we couldn’t move on from last night without a passing farewell to Neymar, who joins Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as spectators for the business end of Russia 2018.

Brazil v Belgium
Farewell, Neymar. Photograph: Sergei Savostyanov/TASS

This prodigious talent of Brazilian football - third on their all-time topscorer list behind Pele and Ronaldo - and yet for so many at this tournament the very embodiment of the worst of football with his playacting and histrionics.

In fairness, after becoming an internet sensation for his basic idiocy during the match against Mexico, it did appear the superstar was a slightly more reformed character last night; gone was the precocious pot-noodle hair, and on occasions when caught, the striker did appear to keep the full-body revolutions to three or under.

What do you think - has the VAR-era “found out” play-actors? Will we see less of this kind of behaviour in the game going forward; or conversely will we see more, given the hounding of referees to “go upstairs” that we’ve seen from players thus far?

But let’s see what you’ve made of the overnight action - here’s “Lardons” with some praise for Belgium’s coach:

I’ve always liked Martinez. He is the personification of the joy, positivity and dare to dream elements of the game which first attracted to me to it and led to my decades long servitude to the cruel mistress of football.

The fact people still try to malign him or dismiss his abilities - motivational and tactical - is astonishing and something probably rather British. Evidently somebody in the Belgium FA could see what he’d bring to a group of frustrated, blunted but potentially thrilling attackers.

Evidently not an Everton fan, there.

“Deepcoverpoint” thinks however all that tactical brilliance may not be enough:

Well done France & Belgium. These were excellent victories.

Hard to see anyone knocking over France based on their potential and last two performances. When they break our into open space, as Belgium also showed today, France has the fluency, speed and finishing to quickly turn a match.

This has been a compelling tournament.

While “Cesc_12” touches on another secret weapon the Belgians have among their ranks:

Thierry Henry is the real brains behind Belgium. It’s no coincidence that Belgium are the tournament’s top scorers, with 14 goals, and the GOAT is their assistant manager.

I’ll admit; I did have the thought that this puts one of the all-time greats of French football in a very tricky position.

Knowing the French squad intimately (as he no doubt does), what inside intel might Henry be able to share with the Belgian backroom staff? And would he? It’s a hell of a pickle to be in - to choose between professionalism and one’s own country. Maybe a phonecall to Iran’s Carlos Queiroz might help?

Thierry Henry and Romelo Lukaku
A popular figure inside the Belgian camp; but what awaits the French legend next match? Photograph: Sergio Perez/Reuters

Updated

Sweden's hotel alarm

Some fresh news with a bearing on our first quarter-final clash today, and it’s not been the ideal matchday preparation for England’s opponents Sweden, who have had a fire alarm go off at their hotel, prompting an evacuation.

You don’t imagine consummate professionals like the Swedes would be too put out by that, but then you never know the micro-superstitions that many professional athletes cling to. I know an Opera singer who will only eat tuna on crackers exactly two hours before EVERY performance. Let’s hope the Swedes all got their herrings in, exactly how they like it.

That said, it’s not exactly the distraction New Zealand’s All Whites experienced ahead of their crucial continental playoff against Peru in Lima where jet planes low-swooped the team hotel at 3am in an attempt to unsettle their opponents pre-match. Now, that’s dedication.

I’m sure coach Janne Andersson and his chargers took it all in their stride, with the well-mannered Swedes almost certainly dealing with the commotion with trademarked “respect”:

Updated

And speaking of the Golden Boot race, if you need a refresher, here’s how the table currently stands:

Phwoar. And to think “Our ‘Arry” is in action tonight! You’d imagine only Lukaku or Griezmann could catch the Tottenham striker from here. No?

And so for seemingly the empteenth time the tricolour of black, red, gold will be flying proudly at a World Cup semi-final; except this time, not the horizontal version of Germany, but the vertical version of Belgium.

One of the coolest wee graphics I’ve seen lately was this humble offering to Romelo Lukaku and his involvement in Belgium’s dramatic late winner against Japan:

And wasn’t he immense, Lukaku. As Nick Ames reminds us with this thoughful offering:

Many people might take a casual glance at the Golden Boot standings and think a Kane and Lukaku pairing at the top has all to do with the relative weakness of their group opponents; but when both are in the form they’ve displayed at this tournament you can see that they’re a genuine handful for even the world’s best defences.

In the Football Manager era where all of us are suddenly instant André Villas-Boas’ it was also a remarkable match for those that are obsessed with tactics and formations.

Often in football you’ll see that the side that blinks first and adjusts their tactics to adapt to their opponents might cede a psychological edge. But there’s no doubting Roberto Martínez’s shrewd tweaks pre-game had a massive influence in this one.

I enjoyed the Spaniard’s post-game comments, where interviewed immediately after the whistle the former Swansea, Wigan and Everton supremo was congratulated for his tactics. To which he replied quick as a flash that tactics are nothing without the execution, or buy-in to said plans from the players; and in that sense the much-maligned Marouane Fellaini (and his mini-Marouane be-wigged mate, Axel Witsel) were utterly superb in the middle of the park; shutting down passing lines to Neymar and Coutinho, and stifling the space for Brazil’s creative playmakers.

Renato Augusto's goal
Deficit halved! Photograph: Sergei Bobylev/TASS

And yet! For all that, had Renato Augusto finished a golden-opportunity to grab an unlucky brace shortly after his lifeline header, had Thiago Silva’s early kneed effort not bobbled agonisingly onto the post, had Fernandinho not inadvertently found his own net; what a very different game of football this could have been!

Heartbreak for Brazil and their fans, after a second half in which they created more than ample opportunities to force at least another 30 minutes - and who out there (Belgium not included) wouldn’t have wanted to see that.

And so we know the first of our semi-finalists: France v Belgium. And what a mouthwatering clash that threatens to be.

But before we get too far ahead ourselves, let’s take a moment to relive that game; an encounter that even the grieving Brazilian coach had to admit was a classic:

“Even with all the pain I feel now and the bitterness, I say that if you like football, you have to watch this game and you will have pleasure if you are not emotionally involved. Triangulations, transitions, saves, what a beautiful game!”

Jonathan Wilson again with the match report; worth a re-read even if you have already.

They showed the trademark hunger that has defined this over-achieving football nation for generations, but sans-Cavani, and aided by a gift from the unfortunate Fernando Muslera, it was always going to be an uphill battle for the South Americans.

It never fails to raise a lump in your throat to see the heartbreak when a team goes out, irrespective of the manner in which they go.

José Giménez becoming another poster boy for the fickle fates of football. One moment you’re up; and the next you’re very, very down.

Jose Gimenez
Inconsolable. Photograph: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images

French coach Didier Deschamps was the very loped-smile picture of contentedness post-game, claiming his side displayed “more mastery” and were “deserved” winners, hinting ominously for Belgian fans that the best was yet to come.

And while many might have taken umbrage to the occasional lurking moments of “gamesmanship” (or “shithousery” if you prefer the Guardian’s re-terming of that) of which some among his number showed great adeptness (*cough* Lucas Hernández), few perhaps could argue that his side weren’t the better side.

Updated

But before all that, to our earlier fixture, where another hugely respected veteran of the South American game, Óscar Tabárez, and his fighting Los Charrúas have run their race.

Given the manner of his involvements at the previous two World Cups, it’s almost a subdued exit for the enigmatic Luis Suárez; the nation’s all-time leading scorer and the original enfant terrible of a pre-Neymar world (and post Nicholas Anelka?).

There were no outrageous contributions in Russia from the man from Salto, who in truth, had half of the beating heart within his chest ripped out when partner-in-crime Edison Cavani was ruled out of this most crucial of encounters.

If you missed any of the earlier action, Stuart James was the man on the ground, and here’s his match report:

And for seemingly the fifteenth time this remarkable World Cup, we begin the morning after the night before; bleary-eyed, shell-shocked, stumbling uncertainly around.

After Germany’s stunning exit Jonathan Wilson captured the post-dystopian mood brilliantly in the opening to his match report, and if you’ll allow the indulge it bears repeating once more, with totemic rivals Brazil now leaving Russia as well:

This, then, is how the world ends, not with a bang but with a whimper. There are certain events so apocalyptic that it feels they cannot just happen. They should be signalled beneath thunderous skies as owls catch falcons and horses turn and eat themselves.

Yes, the Seleção, are going home.

And perhaps even more startling is the fact that, on balance, it’s not even an undeserved result. 210 million people might see it otherwise (please don’t @ me) but in a stunning demonstration of clinical transitional football Roberto Martinez’s Belgium rocked world football with a first-half performance for the ages. They rode their luck in the second, and Brazil were uncharacteristically wasteful in front of goal, but for the neutral observer, it certainly was the kind of football you’d love to see at a World Cup.

Breathless, end-to-end, open, dynamic football. And the wise old owl, Tite, and his much-fancied men have made six (soon to become four) nations very, very, excited about the prospect of what, only weeks ago, would have been considered an unlikely World Cup triumph.

Preamble

And like that, South America left the building, as Russia 2018 reverts to an all-european Euros-style knockout competition.

The loss of Cavani pre-whistle perhaps the biggest impediment to Uruguay’s potential progress, but in fairness it perhaps would have taken something special to beat a French side brimming with the talent they have at their disposal.

But the big news, in a tournament that’s not been light on high drama, is the departure of five-time champions and one of the pre-tournament strong favourites, Brazil, after they fell to Belgium’s “Golden Generation” after one of the most dynamic and thrilling opening halves of the tournament.

And so, now, to find out who will book their spot in the second semi-final, the plucky Swedes, “it’s coming home”-mentum England, Modric and mates Croatia, or a host nation that refuses to lie down.

Yes, we’ve two more cracking fixtures tonight; so prep your meals, line up your slippers and pre-warm your kettle, because this is big-tournament football at the pointy end, and who could honestly even begin to pretend to know what’s in store today.

Today’s schedule:

3pm BST/5pm MSK/midnight AEST: Sweden v England, Samara

7pm BST/9pm MSK/4am Monday AEST: Russia v Croatia, Sochi

As always, this is a train that picks up all passengers, irrespective of tendency-to-pun, quip or muse. Fire us your best contributions via email (richard.parkin.casual@theguardian.com), twitter (@rrjparkin) or below the line to join the conversation.

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