England fans serenaded the pitch with Oasis’ ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ after losing to Croatia
Just the most British thing to happen. Brilliant.
Extremely British things, a list:
- Loud singalongs at soccer matches (or pubs. or church. or traffic jams)
- Hit 90s band Oasis
- Remaining steadfast in the face of ruin (particularly during World War II)
- Losing World Cup matches in excruciating fashion
On Wednesday, Moscow was treated to the intersection of all four. Behold: England supporters, gutted by a 2-1 extra time loss to Croatia in the 2018 World Cup, banded together to serenade the players left on the pitch with a rousing rendition of Oasis’ 1995 hit ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger.’
England fans right now. pic.twitter.com/jjtmMz0maF
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) July 11, 2018
The singalong came minutes after England’s stunning run to the World Cup semifinals was snuffed back by a ferocious Croat comeback. They took a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute when Keiran Trippier’s absolute screamer of a free kick curled under the upper right corner, then held that advantage through halftime and more than halfway through the second half. That’s when Sime Vrsaljko lobbed a perfect cross into the box for Ivan Perisic to finish, tying the game at 1-1.
The score held until extra time, when Mario Mandzukic rifled a shot into the back of the net off a Perisic header in the 109th minute, putting England’s backs against the wall. Even more shatteringly, England was forced to play the final 10 minutes without Trippier, who was helped off the field with an apparent groin injury while his team was out of legal substitutions. That forced them into a 10-on-11 disadvantage as they frantically tried to even the score.
Despite one final free kick in the 124th minute, England’s World Cup hopes ended on Wednesday. And while the team and its fans were devastated, they quickly moved on with an assist from the Moscow PA team.
The song was a message of hope and resilience, delivered in an extremely British way. The English team was just 22 minutes from advancing to its first World Cup final since 1966, but had victory ripped from its hands in heartbreaking fashion. That sucks.
But hey, the ride to get there was pretty great. Don’t look back in anger.