England thrive in World Cup 'bubble' ahead of Croatia semi-final

As excitement builds in England in the run-up to the country's first World Cup semi-final for 28 years, midfielder Dele Alli insists Gareth Southgate's team are keeping a cool head in their tournament "bubble".

England's matches so far in Russia have attracted huge television audiences at home and wild celebrations, with affable coach Gareth Southgate and his vibrant young squad capturing the hearts of a nation.

In sharp contrast to the feverish atmosphere, Alli and his teammates are in relaxed mood in the sleepy seaside resort of Repino, 45 kilometres (28 miles) northwest of Saint Petersburg.

"You are in your own little bubble when here -- training camp, coming back, getting ready for the next game. It is not until you look at social media and the internet that you realise how big it is," Alli said on Monday.

"Obviously we know we are playing in the World Cup, in the semi-final. We are so focused on the games that you forget what we have done so far.

"It is important that we stay like that, keep going and hopefully we achieve something to make it even more special to get to the final and win it."
"When you have such a solid foundation, you have the basics and clear understanding of what we want to do and achieve, it's not a surprise that it's going well for us."
- Croatia defy controversy -
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Defender Domagoj Vida, who scored against Russia, escaped with just a warning from FIFA, which bans political statements, for also appearing in the video and shouting "Glory to Ukraine!"