This is what dreams are made of: James on England's run to the FIFA WC semifinal

Miami, July 13 (IANS) As England prepare to face Argentina, midfielder Reece James admitted that the Lions's run to the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals is “what dreams are made of.”

Thomas Tuchel’s men battled their way past Norway in the quarter-finals on, coming from 1-0 down to win 2-1 after extra-time courtesy of Jude Bellingham’s brace.

Andreas Schjelderup put Norway ahead in the first half when his delivery from the left flew across Jordan Pickford’s box and crashed off the far post before crossing the line.

Bellingham showed a moment of individual quality to pull England level before he prodded home from close range in extra time to complete the Three Lions' comeback and put them into just their third World Cup semi-final since 1966.

James, who returned to action from the bench against Norway, played a key role in defence and midfield after recovering from a hamstring injury picked up earlier in the tournament. And after helping the Three Lions reach their fourth World Cup semi-final, James opened up on what their progress in North America means to him

“This is what dreams are made of,” James said on the latest episode of Lions’ Den Connected by EE. “Everyone from a little boy dreamt of playing in a World Cup and this is part of the process. To play in a semi-final against one of the best nations.. we’re delighted to be here.”

Asked whether he’s able to enjoy moments like Bellingham’s double against Norway by host Andrew Mensah, James added, “It’s difficult in games. You might get 10 seconds to enjoy the moment then it’s gone. As soon as yesterday’s game finished, the focus is forward now. We don’t look back. We have a new challenge in a few days and we’re preparing for that already.”

England will take on Argentina in the last four in Atlanta on Thursday, with the winners going on to face either France or Spain in Sunday’s showpiece final.

Argentina are the defending world champions, but James is confident he and his team-mates can deal with the pressure of facing Lionel Messi and Co on football’s biggest stage.

"It comes with experience. Higher stakes the game is, usually the more pressure. But at the end of the day, this is what we’ve been doing for 20/25 years; playing football. So the fundamentals are the same, but the prize is slightly different," said James.

--IANS

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