FIFA World Cupm 2018: England eye future high

England's Harry Kane during their semi-final against Croatia at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on Wednesday. Pic/Getty Images

Harry Kane says England restored pride during their run to the World Cup semi-finals and can use the tournament as a springboard for sustained success for a talented young generation. Playing in their first World Cup semi-final for 28 years, England surrendered a 1-0 half-time lead to lose 2-1 to Croatia after extra-time in Moscow on Wednesday.

The Three Lions play Belgium for third-place spot tonight. The tournament's top goalscorer with six goals, Kane himself missed a huge chance to give England breathing space in the first half. But he believes even brighter days lie ahead for the young squad. "It hurts now but I know when we look back there are a lot of positives and experience we can take. That's the aim, in two years' time in the Euros to go again and win big tournaments," Kane said.

"We've shown we can do well and the aim is now not to wait another 20-odd years to get to another semi-final. Let's go and achieve our dreams." In their run to the Last four, England re-engaged with a fanbase disaffected by decades of failure, most notably in a humiliating exit to Iceland at Euro 2016.

World Cup fever swept the nation back home and even after the defeat, thousands of England fans at the Luzhniki stadium stayed behind long after the final whistle to give their side a rousing send-off. "It's massive that we had a good tournament and restored pride in the nation. The fans are excited to watch us play and that's how we have to keep progressing," added Kane. "We should hold our heads up high because we've come a long way from two years ago. Even out there the fans singing after a defeat, it's a proud feeling."

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