Crushed England fans have woken up wishing last night was a bad dream after the Three Lions crashed out of the World Cup.
People drowned their sorrows in pubs up and down the country as their dreams were shattered after three weeks of historic goal-scoring, celebrations and lifted spirits.
Fans were left devastated as Croatian forward Mario Mandzukic scored a second goal to take the lead in the second half of extra time and streets were filled with people holding their head in their hands after the 2-1 loss.
Crushed: Fans consoled one another in London’s Hyde Park, which showed the game on a giant screen
England fans simply sat down on the kerb and in the road in Broad Street, Birmingham, once the game ended
Intoxicated fans were seen scaling traffic lights and blocking traffic in Birmingham
One woman was helped out of the water after she jumped into the Birmingham city centre canal after the match
England lost 2-1 to Croatia in a nail-biting showdown in Moscow watched on television by almost half the UK population.
Fans were pictured in cities across the UK including Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle and London with flags draped across their backs as their hopes were crushed.
Thousands were seen sitting dejected on the ground in Hyde Park, London, which held a huge public screening of Croatia v England at Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park.
Earlier in the evening there was an air of both anxiety and excitement for what was England’s first World Cup semi-final since 1990.
The game in Moscow was screened in Hyde Park and marked the biggest London screening of a football match since 1996.
Not alone in their sorrow, the England squad also shared their heartbreak along with captain Harry Kane paying tribute to fans.
Sharing a picture of himself with manager Southgate, he wrote: ‘It hurts a lot. It will hurt for a while. We’ll be back. Thanks for all your support.’
Fans were pictured in cities across the UK including Birmingham with flags draped across their backs as their hopes were crushed
Crushed England fans woke up wishing last night was a bad dream after the Three Lions crashed out of the World Cup
People drowned their sorrows in pubs up and down the country as their dreams were shattered after three weeks of historic goal-scoring, celebrations and lifted spirits
Revellers decided to drown their sorrows by climbing up traffic lights and screaming at passing vehicles
In a further blow to fans, Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic rubbed salt in their wounds when he said his side were better ‘in all segments of the game’ as they won their World Cup semi-final against England
Fans were left devastated as Croatian forward Mario Mandzukic scored a second goal to take the lead in the second half of extra time and streets were filled with people holding their head in their hands after the 2-1 loss
In a further blow to fans, Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic rubbed salt in their wounds when he said his side were better ‘in all segments of the game’ as they won their World Cup semi-final against England.
Asked why his side had won, Dalic said: ‘Because we were the better team in all segments of the game.
‘We did not underestimate them. We respected them because we analysed them. We knew what they were doing and where.’
Dalic thanked Croatia’s fans and players for their efforts in securing the historic win, setting up Sunday’s encounter with France – the team that knocked them out of their previous World Cup semi-final in 1998.