Former England striker Ian Wright captured the mood of the nation as he celebrated Eric Dier's winning penalty in the shootout victory over Colombia on Tuesday night.
Unable to watch, Wright sat with head in hands in the ITV studio in Moscow as Dier stood over the ball with the hopes of a nation resting firmly on his shoulders.
Fellow pundit and ex-team-mate Lee Dixon offered Wright a supportive arm as the Tottenham man shrugged off the burden of pressure and sent the decisive penalty past Arsenal's David Ospina to send the Three Lions into the last 16.
It was the first time England have won a penalty shootout at a World Cup and the celebrations in the studio, which were repeated across the country, underlined a sense that this could be England's year.
As the screens behind Wright showed Dier's penalty hitting the back of the net, the former Arsenal man - still unable to watch - heard the joyous cheers of his fellow pundits and leapt from his seat to share an embrace with Dixon and Gary Neville.
Tweeting a clip of the celebrations, Wright added: "Love this country. Love this team."
England now face Sweden in the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday knowing victory in Samara will send them into a first semi-final in 28 years.
