Spain, France, Argentina and England beware: Demons haunt the World Cup semi-finals

The World Cup spotlight causes single games to live longer in the memory than any other. The remaining teams at this tournament face defining moments World Cup games mean more. England have only ever played 79 games in the finals, which is to say, not much more than two Premier League seasons in the 76 years since they first entered. Those games draw huge audiences: more than 17 million in the UK watched Saturday’s win over Norway, even though it was after midnight by the time it finished. In most countries, World Cup matches are more discussed, more analysed, than any other in sport, perhaps

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