Braeburn's World Cup Blog - Semi-Finals, Day 2.

Well then, here we are. Only three teams remain in the World Cup. France are already through to the final having beaten Belgium one-nil. While not being the goal fest I thought it would be it was still a great game and my heart goes out to Belgium. They played an amazing tournament and I hope that all Belgians are very proud of what their team did. It was only the second semi-final in their history and I know that these things don't come around very often. Let's hope that the Belgians come back strong in the Euros in two years time.

Harry Kane and Luca Modric go head to head tomorrow night in the World Cup.

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So to tomorrow. England versus Croatia. While France and Belgium might have fancied their chances in the tournament it is fair to say that both teams in the second semi-final would not have expected to be where they are. As an Englishman, my relationship with football is a strange one. So often proud of my team, sometimes disappointed by them, so often ashamed of my fellow countrymen and their antics abroad. Football is like life, it is never simple, never straightforward, there are always contradictory feelings and opinions.

Gareth Southgate, one of the finest men in football.

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What I do know is that I am immensely proud of this football team and the way they go about their business. In particular, the manager Gareth Southgate, a man whose appointment I supported from the start, has been a revelation in this tournament. He is an intelligent man who speaks common sense and in doing so he has invigorated this team with a belief and a humble self-confidence that one can only admire. Croatia will no doubt provide a very serious test but I am strangely confident that England will triumph tomorrow night in Moscow. However, despite my confidence, there is every chance England will lose, to watchers of football in the country of its birth, this would not be a surprise. If England lose I will still be proud of the team. Proud of the way the players have carried themselves. Proud of the manager. Proud of the way the few fans that have made it to Russia have conducted themselves. Football, despite the importance that we are prone to put upon it, is just a game, there are more important struggles in the world that deserve our attention.

Good luck Croatia and good luck England, may the best team win.

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