Braeburn's World Cup Blog - Quarter Finals - Day 2.

Early to bed and then up with the lark. Breakfast in a hurry, shower, pack a bag and then make my way to the station. Destination, Carshalton Beeches a friends house. the place where I watched England lose 4-1 to Germany, Frank Lampard’s ghost goal and everything. Today it is Sweden that England must overcome to reach a first World Cup semi-final since 1990, the first in any tournament since 1996. Will 2018 join that short list of years when major tournaments were deemed a success? Not a success in German terms of course, but a success for England. The last four would be massive, giant achievement.

'Three lions on our shirts, Jules Rimet still gleaming...' goosebumps ahoy!!!!

Yesterday, Belgium finally put Neymar out of his misery. The boy who cried wolf ends another World Cup empty-handed. His outrageous dive in the second half somehow escaped the booking it deserved but did it influence the VAR team to deny Gabriel Jesus a penalty just a few moments later. Brazil had coasted through to the quarter-finals, dispatching inferior opposition without ever really getting going or needing to be in top gear. Belgium always looked likely to pose a big test and the favourites failed where Roberto Martinez succeeded. Having very talented footballers no longer guarantees a run to the final, you need tactics and shape too.

The boy who cried wolf. Did Neymar's constant diving eventually cost his team a crucial World Cup penalty.

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In the last-four, Belgium will play France, now the hot favourites and rightly so after their performance against Uruguay. Les Blues have done that thing that champions do. Progress from the group was unspectacular but seamless, energy preserved for bigger tests to come. In the last-sixteen, Argentina looked like a banana skin and yet the French were able to up their game to progress with comfort. I wrote yesterday that Uruguay had been arguably the most consistent team in the tournament so far, the French dispatched them with ease. The South Americans will wonder what might have happened had Edison Cavani been able to partner Luis Suarez up front but we all know what can be done with hindsight.

Unselfish and humble, Kevin De Bruyne is the best modern football has to offer.

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And so by 10pm (BST) we will know the identity of all four semi-finalists. Will the Russians continue their fairytale and reach the last four. Can Croatia’s golden generation finally live up to the expectation that has weighed them down for the last two or three tournaments? Personally, I would favour a Croatian win for more reasons than I care to mention. Some of these factors are political, there is surely a limit to how happy we want Vladimir Putin to be? However, on a footballing level if England were (and it is a big WERE) to overcome Sweden and reach the last four I would rather not face the noisy wave of Russian momentum that would come our way in Moscow. The last eight is a success for the hosts, let’s hope that is the end of that.

Elton John was number 1 with Sacrifice the last time England won a World Cup quarter-final.

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For England’s players, most of whom are still at the beginning of promising careers, the chance in a lifetime to win a World Cup has come surprisingly early. Sweden are formidable opponents and one that England have long struggled to overcome but today will be our day, I am sure. So much about Southgate’s team is different to England’s of the past, expect the journey to continue for a few more days at least.

COME ON ENGLAND!!!!