DAY EIGHT: LIVE. DIE. REPEAT.

When Wayne Rooney scored last night, an opera singer knocked me off my feet and I landed in the lap of a Colombian lady.

And that's when I knew we were going out of the World Cup.

Because the extent of our celebration at a 75th minute equaliser was disproportionate. Fifteen minutes to go and we still needed a winner.

Calm down and go again.

Instead, today is Groundhog Day: a morning that occurs like clockwork every two years. Waking up to a major tournament that's come and gone. Let's not fool ourselves: England had to win. That's how we were going to get out of the group: by beating either Italy or Uruguay. We didn't. Not through lack of effort, not through lack of spirit, but through being the third best side in Group D.

D for death: with a cumulative FIFA world ranking of only 54, Group D is statistically the toughest of all the World Cup groups. For all you completists out there, Brazil's group rate 97; Spain, Holland & Chile are dragged down by Australia's harshly low ranking to 92; the hipsters in Group C total 89; the French have to navigate 82; Germany are crushing the second toughest group (56). The ones you really want to be in are Groups F and H (113 & 109 respectively).

Do the math: when a nation erupts because they've equalised in a must-win game, that suggests one thing. England have become the underdogs.

Rooney was outstanding last night. Gary Cahill was superb. Daniel Sturridge was excellent again, though leading the line really exposes just how one-footed he is. But our full backs aren't good enough to make 4-2-3-1 work. And we have nobody running late from midfield. Ever.

It's time for a bit of perspective. There are some seriously good sides in this World Cup - arguably far more than in previous tournaments - so let's not try and beat them at their own game. Let's be plucky.

I genuinely hope Uncle Woy stays on. He got Fulham to the Europa League Final.

Let's be Fulham.



THE STORY SO FAR

Match of the tournament: Spain 1-5 Holland

Player of the tournament: Guillermo Ochoa (Mexico)

Goal of the tournament: Tim Cahill (AUSTRALIA v Holland)