The future's bright…and football could still come home
The Game
The Times
3.2 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 12 July 2018
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
England’s World Cup adventure ends at the penultimate hurdle as Croatia come from behind to defeat the Three Lions in the semi-finals of the World Cup in Moscow after extra-time.
Natalie Sawyer watches the game in the company of Matthew Syed, Tony Cascarino and Martyn Ziegler. Jonathan Northcroft is at the Luzhniki Stadium to heap praise on the world-class Kieran Trippier and the magnificent Mario Mandzukic.
There’s tributes paid to the planning of the FA and Gareth Southgate in setting England up for future success while uniting football fans across the nation – but also some questions raised about Southgate’s substitutions.
Plus Gab Marcotti joins us to put Croatia’s achievement into context as they reach their first ever World Cup final, led by Luka Modric.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to the game World Cup Daily from The Times. I'm Natalie Sawyer and thank you for joining us. |
| 0:15.9 | We have been here every match day of the World Cup, podcasting after 10 o'clock UK time every night. |
| 0:21.7 | And for many of you listening it is the most painful |
| 0:24.9 | match day of the lot. England bow out at the semi-final stage in extra time |
| 0:29.9 | after Croatia came from behind to win in Moscow with Mario Manzukich getting the winning goal. |
| 0:35.9 | In the studio with me, Matthew sighed and Matthew we've been through it all tonight haven't we? |
| 0:42.0 | It was a match of extraordinary emotional intensity and that is |
| 0:47.8 | inevitable because of the stakes the rarity that precious rarity of the England team getting to a semi-final of the World Cup. |
| 0:56.1 | I'm sure the whole nation was tense watching the match. |
| 1:00.2 | It started gloriously. |
| 1:02.1 | I mean a lot of people thought it would be nervy and tentative given the stakes given that each team had a shot at sporting immortality and yet one team started with pace with vigor with intent and that was |
| 1:14.8 | England and after Trippy is absolutely magnificent free kick they had their |
| 1:19.5 | opponents wavering and on the ropes and I think we were watching it together and I think both of us reflected |
| 1:25.6 | on the fact that by not capitalising on those early chances to get a two-goal lead it may come back |
| 1:32.2 | to bite England and it did but all told it's been a |
| 1:36.5 | good performance by England I think the nation has come together in a way that |
| 1:41.4 | only the World Cup can facilitate and you know I think |
| 1:45.8 | they'll come back with tremendous pride. Jonathan Northcroft joins us now from |
| 1:49.8 | the Lujaniki Stadium and Jonathan it's a sad end to what's been a wonderful month for England. |
| 1:56.3 | Yeah it's been a wonderful month. I felt that they've left everything they put everything they could into that game tonight and it's a strange feeling watching |
| 2:05.6 | them with a mixture of admiration and sympathy and that's a very, very different vibe to watching England going out of previous tournaments where |
| 2:14.8 | you know your mind sort of racist ever something that's wrong I mean there's so much |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Times, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Times and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.