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Kieran Trippier boosted by England World Cup semi-final free-kick

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Kieran Trippier
Image: Kieran Trippier's goal for England in the World Cup semi-final was not enough to prevent defeat to Croatia

Kieran Trippier has revealed watching his World Cup semi-final strike on loop gave him the confidence to share free-kick duties with Tottenham team-mate Christian Eriksen.

Trippier was a standout performer during England's memorable summer exploits, capping a handful of bright performances with consistently excellent set-piece delivery.

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Trippier believes England can beat anyone

His tournament peaked with the superb free-kick which gave Gareth Southgate's side an early lead in their semi-final against Croatia, who came back to win the game 2-1 in extra-time.

The moment the ball hit the net in at the Luzhniki Stadium, Trippier became just the third man to score for England in a World Cup semi-final, following Sir Bobby Charlton and Gary Lineker, and the buzz has barely worn off.

"I'm not going to lie to you, I've watched it back about 100 times," he said ahead of England's UEFA Nations League match against Spain at Wembley on Saturday evening - live on Sky Sports.

"Obviously I enjoyed that moment. Even now it still hurts that we got beat but I have watched it back a lot.

'World Cup felt like a lads' holiday'
'World Cup felt like a lads' holiday'

Fabian Delph admits returning from the World Cup was a "massive comedown" after England's run to the semi-finals.

"I've looked back at a couple of the games, not just the Croatia one. Obviously it was frustrating to get knocked out in the semi-final but we're proud of ourselves as a team and how far we came in the World Cup."

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Trippier's dead-ball skills flew under the radar for a long time at Spurs, where Eriksen has built a well-earned reputation as one of the best in the business.

The Dane was quick to acknowledge his colleague's skills when they linked back up for Spurs and even deferred to Trippier when a chance arose against Fulham last month.

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Just as he had in Moscow, the former Burnley man finished with style.

"To be fair to Christian we had a bit of banter about free-kicks and stuff as soon as we walked in [for pre-season training]," he said.

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"In the last few games we've been sharing them out a little bit because of the opposition and which delivery can hurt them the most.

"It's all about the confidence at the time. Everyone knows how good Christian is at set plays and delivering a ball but against Fulham I just felt confident, first game back, and I said to him 'do you mind if I take this one?' He said 'no problem' - and I managed to score it."

England welcome Spain at Wembley for their UEFA Nations League opener on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Football.

Watch the Nations League live on Sky and get two football channels for one great price. Get Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Football in HD - now £18 a month.

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