GOM World Cup Diary #32 England Reach The Semi-Finals!

I Still Don’t Know…

England are in the World Cup semi-finals.

There. I’ve said it.

A few weeks ago, if someone had suggested England would still be playing while the tournament entered its final stages, I’d probably have smiled politely, stirred my coffee and changed the subject.

Yet here we are.

Which brings me back to something I wrote a few days ago.

“Is it?”

“Is it really?”

The trouble is…

I still don’t know.

England’s victory over Norway was another one of those performances that quietly gets the job done. There was no panic, no drama worthy of a Hollywood script and no need for the Football Gods to intervene at the last minute.

Just ninety minutes of doing enough.

Of course, beating Norway also meant beating Erling Haaland, or as the newspapers would probably have it, “Haaland and ten other Norwegians.” When one player has been scoring goals for fun, stopping him becomes almost as important as scoring yourself.

England managed both.

Now, I know what’s coming.

The headlines.

The predictions.

The old phrase about football coming home will be dusted off once again, probably before the ink has dried on today’s newspapers.

I’ve supported England for far too long to get carried away.

I’ve seen glorious victories followed by disappointing afternoons.

I’ve celebrated famous wins that were quickly forgotten after the next match.

Football has taught me many things over the years.

Chief among them is that tomorrow has a habit of laughing at today’s certainty.

So yes, England are in the semi-finals.

Yes, they’re only one game away from the World Cup Final.

And yes, for the first time in this tournament, that little voice in the back of my mind has started whispering, “What if…?”

But then the Grumpy Old Man clears his throat, takes another sip of coffee and reminds me that hope and expectation are two very different things.

Hope is wonderful.

Expectation can be dangerous.

So, am I beginning to believe?

Perhaps.

Do I think England can win it?

Possibly.

Do I know?

I still don’t know.

And maybe that’s the best way to enjoy a World Cup.

Anyway, what do I know?

I’m just a grumpy old man.

Don’t just read it — tell me what you think. I need someone else to blame.