Why are people angry at England for getting an easier road to the semis?

I both appreciate and respect your position, as a rule, but in this case I disagree. If you get the chance, watch Lovren's multiple vicious fouls, particularly in the first half. He should have received at least 2 yellow cards and/or a red card before the half. Had Croatia been down to 10 men, the outcome would've been very different.

And I'm just isolating Lovren as an example. I could point to several other Croat players making equally vicious fouls throughout the match. I was concerned about this going into the match because of how it clearly helped Colombia draw even in their match with England (that ref was also abysmal).

One of Croatia's most vocal supporters on this sub even called them out for it after the match, admitting that he couldn't properly enjoy the victory because of their dirty play. That's very telling.

Taking defeat with dignity is fine. Pretending the allegations are baseless is absurd. Watch the match again (if you can stomach it). I'm done with this World Cup. But I'm optimistic about England's future.

/r/worldcup Thread Parent