Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho, has said that England “have a reason to cry”, after Gareth Southgate’s team lost 2-1 to Croatia in the 2018 World Cup semi-final on Wednesday night.
Kieran Trippier’s excellent free-kick in the 5th minute, gave the Three Lions an early.
But Ivan Perisic equalized in the second half before Mario Mandzukic netted an extra-time winner.
Mourinho lamented England’s inability to grab a second goal and says Perisic’s goal gave Croatia “an overdose of confidence”.
He also called on the Football Association to keep Southgate and his staff in charge.
“England, of course, have a reason to cry but they also have a reason to be optimistic,” Mourinho told Russia Today.
“The team improved a lot in relation to previous appearances. The squad is young. The majority of the players can play the next World Cup. Probably, Ashley Young, [Jamie] Vardy, they will be 37 and 35, but the others will be at the next world cup, with more experience at club level.
“Gareth Southgate and [assistant manager] Steve Holland, if I was the FA, if I was in charge, no doubt that I would keep them in the job and I would give them the chance to take the team to the next Euros, eventually to the next World Cup.
“The players, the squad and everybody involved in the World Cup for England have a reason to come back home with the pride that they gave everything and they made their country, not fully happy, but they made their country proud.”
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