Prince William Congratulates England National Team: ‘Football Is Coming Home’
After England prevailed over Sweden for the World Cup semi-final, Prince William congratulated the team in a tweet from the official account of Kensington Palace.
The 36-year-old royal, who presides over the English Football Association, wrote: “You deserve this moment – Football’s Coming Home!”
You wanted to make history @England and you are doing just that. This has been an incredible #WorldCup run and we’ve enjoyed every minute. You deserve this moment – Football’s Coming Home! W
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) July 7, 2018
The message, a surprising celebratory exhibit from the high-profile social-media page, has garnered some 27,000 likes, nearly 5,000 shares, and close to 300 comments.
This is not the first time that the Duke of Cambridge has taken to social media to cheer on England national football (or soccer, as Americans say) team.
Earlier this week, he applauded the Three Lions after their victory over Colombia.
“You have well and truly earned your place in the final eight of the #worldcup and you should know the whole country is right behind you for Saturday! Come on England,” he broadcast on Twitter on July 3.
Prince William’s excitement is quite justifiable and, perhaps, beyond simple fascination with football.
This year marks the first time England has qualified for the semi-final round of the World Cup tournament since 1990, when it lost on penalties to West Germany in Italy, the Daily Express reported.
“I hope everyone at home enjoys tonight because it’s not often this happens,” Gareth Southgate, the England national team coach, told BBC Sport.
“We knew it was going to be such a different game after having extra time and penalties against Colombia, with all the emotion and the energy,” he continued. “We had to withstand a lot of physical pressure but the resilience of the team was crucial.”
England will next face off Croatia, which beat Russia on penalties later in the day. The semifinal game will be played on Wednesday.
The team, as well as the nation, has two valuable players to thank for its historic advance. Harry Maguire scored at the 30th minute, and Dele Alli used his head to make it a 2-0 in the 58th minute.
“It’s always nice to score especially in occasions like this,” Alli said. I don’t think it was my best performance but to get a goal is unbelievable and it’s an amazing feeling to get to the semi-final.”
Although the game was a World Cup quarter-final, there were not many supporters on each side in the stadium, The Sun’s Charlie Wyett observed, describing the atmosphere on the ground as “strangely subdued.”
