England XI face a memory test as World Cup semi revisited

England's starting XI from the 2018 World Cup semi‑final in Moscow is back in the spotlight, as fans are challenged to recall the line‑up that took an early lead in a 5‑3‑2 formation under Gareth Southgate, despite the odds of scoring in such a high‑stakes match.

The night in Moscow

Scoring in a World Cup semi‑final isn’t for everybody, and England seemed to meet Croatia weekly in recent memories, yet their most famous clash unfolded on that night.

The Three Lions made unexpected progress that year under Gareth Southgate, prompting a nation to believe football was finally coming home when they surged ahead early.

Croatia, led by the peerless Luka Modric, proved the superior side, gradually pulling Southgate’s team back and eventually clinching a 2‑1 victory after extra‑time.

Now the quiz asks you to name England’s starting XI from that Moscow encounter, arranged in a 5‑3‑2 shape, and you should be able to do so without any clues.

If this challenge whets your appetite, another quiz invites you to list every England one‑cap wonder since 2000, while the Football Games hub offers over a thousand quizzes to explore.

Good luck, and don’t forget to tweet your scores to @planetfutebol; the next quiz will test you on the last one hundred players to make their England debut.