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England players have flocked to social media share their pain after Wednesday night's heartbreaking World Cup 2018 semi-final defeat to Croatia .
Kieran Trippier's early free-kick put the Three Lions in the driving seat in Moscow, but Ivan Perisic levelled midway through the second half and Mario Mandzukic's extra-time strike sent Croatia through to Sunday's final against France.
Gareth Southgate 's side now face Belgium in the third-place play-off on Saturday with the players desperately disappointed not to have made it all the way.
Captain Harry Kane told his two million followers: "It hurts a lot. It will hurt for a while. We can be proud and we'll be back. Thanks for all your support."
Show all 22 1 /22Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings <b>Croatia:</b> Danijel Subasic – 6 out of 10 His position for the opening goal was questionable and his dive wasn’t all that either. Possibly still feeling the effects of his hamstring niggle suffered in the quarter-final.
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Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings Sime Vrsaljko – 8 out of 10 An injury doubt heading into the game that will have been relieved to see Raheem Sterling targeting the left side of the Croatian defence. Pushed forward as England went into their shells, and it was his superb cross that allowed Perisic to volley home and level the scores.
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Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings Dejan Lovren – 5 out of 10 On thin ice early with referee Cuneyt Cakir and somehow stayed out of the referee’s book. Ran ragged throughout the first half by Sterling and Lingard, and looked like a walking red card waiting to happen. But as England’s attack faded away, the pressure on him eased.
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Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings Domagoj Vida – 7 out of 10 The more commanding of the two Croatian centre-backs, though that isn’t saying much in comparison to Lovren’s performance.
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Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings Ivan Strinic – 5 out of 10 Found himself under a heap of pressure as Sterling and Trippier double-teamed him, putting him in a spin that England were unable to take full advantage of.
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Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings Marcelo Brozovic – 6 out of 10 It was his loss of concentration that allowed Dele Alli to slip by and force Luka Modric into the foul that led to the opening goal. Looked more assured thereafter, and was one of the main reasons why Croatia were able to turn the tables.
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Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings Ante Rebic – 6 out of 10 Must have been one of the most frustrated players on the pitch as he saw no fewer than three shots blocked by the stubborn England defence, before being replaced by Anrej Kramaric.
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Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings Luka Modric – 6 out of 10 Exposed defensively as Dele Alli drew the early foul that set-up England’s opener and looked very much like a 31-year-old who has been dragged through three lung-busting extra-time matches. A shadow of the player we’re used to seeing.
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Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings Ivan Rakitic – 6 out of 10 Just as disappointing as Modric and for all the high billing that the Liga duo were given, they flattered to deceive.
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Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings Ivan Perisic – 9 out of 10 Wasted possession early on when Croatia were trailing as he wastefully shot from distance, but made his impact on the game – and then some. He made a lovely run to get in front of Kyle Walker to score Croatia’s deserved equaliser, and it was his determination that got him to the ball first to head into the path of Mandzukic to score the winner.
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Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings Wasted possession early on when Croatia were trailing as he wastefully shot from distance, but made his impact on the game – and then some. He made a lovely run to get in front of Kyle Walker to score Croatia’s deserved equaliser, and it was his determina Took a clattering from Pickford when the two collided in close-range to the England goal, but brushed it off to score the crucial goal that sent Croatia through to the World Cup final.
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Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings <England:</b> Jordan Pickford – 6 out of 10 Involved in a nasty-looking collision with Rebic early on but brushed himself down and looked composed as ever. Didn’t have too many saves to make as England’s defence made block after block, but the resilience finally broke.
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Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings Kyle Walker – 6 out of 10 Bailed England out with his phenomenal pace on numerous occasions as Croatia pushed on in the second half in search of the goal they needed, but just like the opening game against Tunisia he was exposed aerially for Perisic’s equaliser.
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Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings John Stones – 7 out of 10 England’s most impressive defender as he put his body on the line and looked to block anything that came down the centre channel. A strong performance that was undone by his hesitation that allowed Mandzukic in behind to score the winner.
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Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings Harry Maguire – 6 out of 10 Tried to impose at England’s set-pieces but to no avail.
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Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings Kieran Trippier – 8 out of 10 Lovely free-kick to open the scoring in the fifth minute dared England to dream and was reward for his efforts at the tournament. The sight of him being carried off injured as extra-time ticked down was a sad one.
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Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings Jordan Henderson – 6 out of 10 Made little impression on the match as Croatia were able to bypass the England midfield with relative ease.
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Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings Dele Alli – 6 out of 10 Won the free-kick that produced Trippier’s goal, but that’s just about all he managed and he lost possession too often as England allowed the game to slip away.
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Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings Ashley Young – 6 out of 10 Crucial touch to nip the ball away from Perisic just as he cocked his right leg to shoot at goal early on.
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Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings Jesse Lingard – 6 out of 10 For someone who is capable of the beautiful goal he scored against Panama, he goes missing in games too often. Croatia were able to withstand his early onslaught with Sterling and after that he pretty much disappeared from view.
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Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings Raheem Sterling – 6 out of 10 Another who disappointed in terms of the final product. Made a number of runs early on that made him look the most dangerous player out there, but too often he was either on his own or ran into a dead end and was replaced by Marcus Rashford when England started to chase the game.
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Croatia vs England World Cup player ratings Harry Kane – 5 out of 10 Missed two chances in front of goal that he would have expected to score in his sleep – not knowing that he had been flagged offside both times. Looked completely spent come the end of normal time as he slipped back into midfield once again, and you would not be surprised if he has been carrying an injury since the Colombia game.
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Midfielder Jesse Lingard said: "Was an honour to represent my country at the world cup. The squad we have is a great bunch of lads who are willing to learn and give everything and we can hold our heads high. Thank you to everyone who supported our journey - we dont stop here!"
Striker Marcus Rashford posted: "Really tough right now but this team's special.. we'll be back. Hopefully this is the start". The Manchester United man went on to thank boss Southgate on Instagram: "You’ve brought belief and the love of football back. Thank you boss from the whole nation."
Full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold said: "Absolutely devastated that our journey is over! We enjoyed every moment as a nation, I'd like to thank all the staff and fans for being behind us. It has been an honour to be a part of this special team. We will be back stronger"
Centre-back Harry Maguire said: "Devastated. Absolutely gutted. Thanks to the fans for your incredible support."
Goalkeeper Jack Butland wrote: "Devastated to not be coming back here for the final on Sunday but this is just the beginning for this squad! To each and every England fan, the support has been incredible and we can't thank you enough! #ThreeLions"
Forward Jamie Vardy posted: "Gutted..... Thank you to every one of you who have been there each step of the way! The support at each game has been incredible. Sorry we couldn't cross that final hurdle. Congrats to Croatia and good luck to you in the final #England"
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