England broke our hearts but it was always about more than football

Image source, George Wright Image caption, With my brother Laurie after the semi-final loss to Argentina By George Wright BBC News Published 40 minutes ago I watched the curtains fall on England's World Cup chances in a pub near Trafalgar Square with my wife, brother and friends. After Anthony Gordon's opener, the tension rose and the chatter ground to a halt as England sat back and Argentina pushed for an equaliser. Once Enzo Fernandez broke us down in the 85th minute, it seemed inevitable that Argentina would win and our dreams of bellowing out Wonderwall to celebrate an historic victory wouldn't come to pass. It's not a new experience to me as an England fan - anticipation, joy, frustration and ultimately, dejection. But the chaotic pub scenes, WhatsApp chats and conversations with friends across the world have reminded me that supporting England in the World Cup connects me with people in ways few other events do. Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Jude Bellingham's second goal against Mexico sent the pub I watched the match in into a frenzy England in major tournaments have defined many summers in my lifetime. One of my earliest memories was making my four-year-old brother stand still in the back garden while I tried to flick the ball over his head and volley it into the net, just as Gazza had done against Scotland the day before in Euro 96. Excitement was low within my social circles ahead of this World Cup - partly because of anger over sky-high ticket prices that priced out so many fans. But all apathy disappeared as we beat Croatia 4-2 in the first game. Watching Harry Kane welling up as fans serenaded the team with a rendition of Wonderwall compounded the excitement. "THIS IS OUR YEAR," I wrote on one WhatsApp chat with three friends who all live in different countries, only half joking. "One foot in the final," one responded, almost certainly joking. Feeling gutted? Five ways to cope with England's World Cup defeat Published 2 hours ago Why you should care about World Cup third-place play-off Published 2 hours ago We got a sharp reality check after a 0-0 draw with Ghana. The WhatsApp group descended into a discussion about taps that dispense boiling water without having to reach for the kettle. "God this conversation is almost as boring as that first half," someone noted. We then got back to winning ways with a 2-0 win over Panama, topping the group and setting us up to face DR Congo in the first knock-out round. This was when things started to get stressful. The 5pm kick off meant I had to watch the first half at home on the sofa with my bewildered cat as I didn't clock off until 6pm. (Note to my bosses: I was keeping an eye on emails.) DR Congo took the lead within seven minutes. England created plenty of chances but just couldn't stick the ball in the net. At half-time I hopped on the bus to West Norwood, where my friends Tomal and Char were watching it in a pub full of kids who had just finished school. Some were locked into