England players had a morale-boosting visit from their wives and girlfriends on Saturday.
A 50-strong group of family members - including their parents and children - made their first visit of the World Cup to the Souq al Wakra hotel near Doha. Manager Gareth Southgate admitted that Harry Kane and his side were 'down and disappointed' after the drab 0-0 draw against United States, watched by millions of fans back home.
They endured boos from their army of around 8,000 of the 68,463 fans at the Al Bayt stadium. Victory over Wales on Tuesday will see them through to the last 16 as winners of Group B.
So Southgate gave permission for the players to see their families at the hotel for the first time. The families had a stroll along by the beach at the back of their hotel and through the local market. They then made their way to a side entrance to go in around 5.30pm local time.
They included the family of Harry Maguire, 29, praised by manager Southgate after the game, who was given a kiss by wife Fern, 28, at the final whistle. He told his followers on Twitter : "Disappointed not to win but still a huge honour to win my 50th cap. Some amazing memories along the way, and hopefully many more to come. Thanks to my families, staff, teammates and fans for all your support."
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Maguire was cheered on by his wife, children, proud parents Zoe and Alan, brothers Laurence, 25, Joe, 31, and sister Daisy, 21, against the US. Kane's wife Katie Goodland was in the group visiting the hotel today with their two children.
The England team has the biggest-ever following of family members at a tournament abroad, with around 100 seats in their official allocation in the stands. The group also included Jack Grealish's influencer girlfriend Sasha Attwood, 26, and Jordan Pickford's wife Megan Davison, 26.
Bukayo Saka's girlfriend Tolami Benson, 22, who cheered him on in an England shirt, enjoyed a trip around the market before she made her way into the hotel.
"This must be the biggest ever travelling party at a World Cup," said a Three Lions source. "No matter what happens on the pitch, they are there for them off it."
Southgate defended his side but admitted the performance against the US may not have put a 'smile on the face' of fans. England had just eight shots, only attempting fewer in a World Cup against the Republic of Ireland in 1990, when they registered six, and seven against Poland in 1986. They had no shots in a 40-minute period of the second half.
Southgate said: "The objective is always to get out of the group and we've done that in two games in the past two tournaments - we can't expect to do that all the time."
Defender Kieran Trippier added: "I think a point is a fair result. Now, we just have to recover and review the game and fully focus on the next battle against Wales."
