CHRIS WHEELER: England finished the curse of ITV… quickly the quarter-remaining doesn’t seem to be so ominous

But can they do it on a heat Sunday night in Al Kohr on ITV?

Just about the only cloud hanging in excess of England’s instead serene progress to the past 16 in Qatar experienced been that pudding of a goalless attract against the Usa at the Al Bayt Stadium, and the point it was screened on the business channel.

Why on earth does that make a difference, you may possibly check with. Perfectly, it continued a rather stressing – some have absent so considerably to say cursed – sequence of success when England participate in in the Earth Cup on ITV.

Ian Wright, Gary Neville and Roy Keane ended up ITV’s punditry crew on Sunday evening

Only two wins in 15 games since 1998 before Sunday’s victory over Senegal, to be exact. Review that to 12 from 16 on BBC and it was a acquire ratio of 13 for every cent to 75 per cent.

Whilst Gary Lineker and Co have been capable to treat us to two wins and 11 ambitions in the team online games versus Iran and Wales, the hapless crew in excess of on ITV had been cursing their luck at landing the – booby prize.

So you could have an understanding of if they felt a small apprehensive heading back again to the Al Bayt for a further go against Senegal.

‘Knockout matches involving England are not for the faint-hearted, so do not be expecting an easy experience tonight,’ was Mark Pougatch’s opening gambit, and don’t ITV know it.

They wheeled out the new queen of the jungle, Jill Scott, for an opening phase right before England faced the so-called Lions of Teranga.

I’m a Movie star veteran Ian Wright joked about sending fellow panellist Roy Keane into camp, but the Irishman appeared about as amazed as he did when Pougatch brought up the continual din from the Senegalese drums down below the studio platform. ‘Very annoying,’ said Keane sourly.

England cruised to victory in excess of Senegal to achieve the quarter-finals of the Entire world Cup

We had Karen Carney with the at any time-amazing Laura Woods at pitch-aspect, an job interview with Senegal boss Aliou Cisse and a piece with Phil Foden which finished with Gary Neville wanting quizzically at Pougatch when Wright advised the Manchester City participant had gained the Champions League.

For 38 minutes, this was each and every bit as underwhelming as England-Usa. The ITV executives ought to have wanting to know what they had accomplished to upset the footballing gods.

Then two speedy goals from Jordan Henderson and Harry Kane – the latter fulfilling Keane’s prediction that he would rating – produced the fifty percent-time assessment a small kinder. One more from Bukayo Saka silenced any a lot more chat of a curse.

All of a unexpected, the prospect of England’s quarter-last clash with France getting on ITV doesn’t appear really so ominous.