But after over an hour of holding on to a slender lead, Ivan Perisic fired back in the 68th minute to draw Croatia level.
The game was then decided late into extra-time when Juventus star Mario Mandzukic broke the hearts of a nation and sent Gareth Southgate’s men home. Following the match, pundits discussed some of the key areas where the game was won and lost, but Roy Keane was adamant that John Stones was to blame.
The Ireland assistant manager said: “We’ve talked about how comfortable England are playing out from the back and while Stones is comfortable on the ball you still have the act of defending – players can smell danger.
“Stones is ball-watching and when the goal goes in he’s looking at people as if he should have got a shout. You’re not going to get a shout in a World Cup semi-final. You’ve got to be aware of it and deal with it yourself. He got caught out defensively.”
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