INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Southgate said the players were deeply disappointed, but that his young team could achieve great things in the years to come, with the
European Championship just two years away."It's impossible to say anything to make the players feel better at this moment in time," he
said."We have to be proud of what we've achieved
Croatia have hardened warriors whose understanding of big matches at times came to the fore."The players have to go through big matches and
experiences to become a team that can win
They have to use this experience for benefit and I know that what's happened over the last few weeks will make them a stronger team."Harry
Kane looks set to claim the Golden Boot as the World Cup's leading scorer, but the Tottenham star rarely looked like adding to his six
goals against Croatia.'Suffer the result'"I think he's given absolutely everything for the team," Southgate said of the 24-year-old
the next couple of days."He's captained the team brilliantly over the tournament and I can't ask for more from him."It was England's
best performance at a major tournament since Southgate was part of the team that reached the semi-finals at Euro '96.England arrived at this
World Cup with the least experienced squad in terms of caps, but Southgate said the agony of losing was just as strong despite surpassing
limited expectations."We all feel the pain of the defeat
Did we expect to be in this position I don't think realistically any of us did," he said."But when you've got to this point, and we've
played as well as we have, you want to take those opportunities in life.""There will in time be a lot of positives to take," he added
"It's very hard to put that into context and a bit too soon really, because I think you have to suffer the result a little bit
the next 24 hours to get everyone mentally back to where we want them for a game like that
That will be the challenge."
