England will come back stronger from World Cup heartache: Defoe

LONDON - England striker Jermain Defoe has vowed England would come back stronger from their humiliating Round of 16 exit from this year’s FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

England was eliminated from the tournament after being thrashed 4-1 by Germany in Bloemfontein.

The Three Lions’ ‘worst ever World Cup defeat’ also dashed their hopes of beating Germany at the World Cup for the first time since the 1966 final.

“Nobody wanted to come home when we did. The lads were gutted, we wanted to do well for everyone. To get knocked out and see kids in the crowd crying with the England colours on their faces washing away is horrible,” The Mirror quoted Defoe, as saying.

“Of course you want to do it for yourself and your family, but it’s also for the fans and for the kids especially you want to do well. You try so hard for them. Growing up I used to watch the World Cup and after each game, I’d go out on the street and try to emulate the players.”

“To go to the World Cup, play and score is a dream come true. Playing for my country, for my fans, means so much to me. I know how much it means to them and the efforts they make to support us and we never want to let them down,” he added.

Despite scoring the only goal in the crucial Group C tie against Slovenia that sent England into the knockout stages, Defoe is taking nothing for granted in the run up to the Euro 2012 qualifiers, which kick off in September.

“There might well be one or two younger players coming through. A lot of the German players came up from the 21s and they were hungry, it was their first competition, they were fresh,” Defoe said.

“The manager picks the squad based on merit so if there’s any youngster playing well, they’ll get an opportunity now and it’s good for everyone because with this manager, people get a chance,” he added. (ANI)