England on Saturday stormed into the semi-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup thanks to a 2-0 win over Sweden and one of the architects of their win, Jesse Lingard, shared a heartwarming embrace with his mother after the full-time whistle was blown at the Samara Arena.
Lingard, who plies his trade for Manchester United, was unable to find the back of the net but did manage to notch a sumptuous assist for Dele Alli’s second on the night.
And the 25-year-old’s post-match video has, for all the right seasons, gone viral on Instagram:
Initially, England fans were mocked for their ‘Football’s coming home’ chant, but with the Three Lions in their first semi-final at a World Cup in 28 years, it looks like they might just have the last laugh.
Gareth Southgate’s men, against all odds, have progressed to the last-four and now have to be considered as serious contenders for the quadrennial tournament.
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Impressive in their opening group-stage games, they did lose their final fixture against Belgium, although they had rested all their big guns for that clash.
Against Colombia in the last-16, the Three Lions won their first-ever penalty shootout at the World Cup to have an entire country believing that this might just be their year after decades of underperforming at the biggest stage.
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And Lingard, who’s been impressive for club and country for the past two season, might just prove to be decisive in bringing the World Cup ‘home’.
They will face the winner of the Russia-Croatia tie in the semis on Wednesday.
France take on Belgium in the first semi-final on Tuesday.