Midfielder Dier reckons Three Lions have learnt from their shock exit against Iceland in 2016 and are ready to upstage Croatia in semi-finals tomorrow
England players celebrate a goal against Sweden during the quarter-final match in Samara on Saturday. Pic/AFP
Eric Dier believes England's run to the World Cup semi-finals has been fuelled by a desire to make amends for their Euro 2016 humiliation. England crashed out of the European Championships two years ago with a shock loss to Iceland at the Last 16 stage.
Much has changed since then with new manager Gareth Southgate leading a revamped and re-energised squad on an impressive run through this summer's tournament in Russia. England will now play Croatia on Wednesday for a chance to secure a place in the final for the first time since 1966.
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England's Eric Dier
Dier said: "After the Iceland game we knew that things needed to change. There have been a lot of changes since that moment. It was a moment where we were extremely disappointed and couldn't let that happen again. We knew we could only make amends for that moment here at this World Cup. Nothing else would fix what happened. "That is what we have been trying to do. We have learned from our mistakes."
England reached the last four with victory over Sweden on Saturday. It is the furthest they have progressed in the tournament since 1990 but Dier insists nobody is congratulating themselves yet. "I don't think we have succeeded yet. Success is hard to define, but in my eyes, and everyone's back at the hotel, this isn't success yet. We're hungry for more.
"Hopefully we can continue to show that on Wednesday. After the game against Sweden we switched our attention to Wednesday and we are focused on that game. We know there can be even better nights the longer we go in the tournament. We have loved every minute, every game, but we know there can be a lot more enjoyment if we continue on this path."
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