Gareth Southgate Instructed England Players To Stay Up Past 6am

A detailed report from Matt Lawton says that once the Three Lions arrived back at their training base in Repino and had their more than deserved spread of food and drink, they were encouraged to stay up and relive their wonderful and unprecedented heroics.

With only a light session pencilled in for Wednesday, the day after the game, the players and staff remained up and about past 6am - with each player sharing their own personal story of the evening as the rest of the group listened and applauded.

The report reads: "Manager Gareth Southgate did not want the moment to pass and, although he hopes there are more times like this with his squad, he wanted them all to recognise their achievements.

"Together they sat around sharing their personal recollections of the night, with each offering a different story that was greeted with cheers and applause by the group."

It was England's first knockout victory for 12 years and the occasion certainly needed to be marked. There's a freshness and a real sense of unity amongst this group of players, with Southgate deserving a whole lot of credit for being able to instill that.

As a result, the belief back home has grown and grown - World Cup fever has well and truly taken over.

Bride-to-be, Jodie Houlston, from Lincolnshire, wrote on Twitter: "OK England, you're starting to worry me now.

"If your kicking a ball around a bit of grass upstages me on my wedding day I may have to have the first diva strop of my life."

Lighten up, Jodie - IT'S COMING HOME!