England's players can hold their heads up high.
Gareth Southgate and his 23-man squad surpassed all expectations with a thrilling World Cup run but fell at the penultimate hurdle as they failed to get past a very game Croatia team in the semi-final.
The experience will stand the very young squad in good stead ahead of Euro 2020 and the next World Cup because the players now believe that they have what it takes to compete with the greatest sides in the world.
Plenty of tears were shed in the moments after the full-time whistle in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow as the exhausted England players paid tribute to the supporters who roared them on when times got tough against Croatia.
Fans were just as distraught but they wanted to let the players know that they were grateful for the lifelong memories that were made over the past month in Russia.
The stadium DJ outdid himself by choosing to blare the Oasis classic 'Don't Look Back in Anger' over the PA system and supporters didn't need a second invitation to join in with the chorus.
It wasn't quite a farewell because England will still take to the pitch on Saturday for a third-place playoff with Belgium but it was more of a thank you for the efforts of England.
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