--- ---  # This Is the Most Tender Photo of the World Cup So Far  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Jul 12, 2018 2:55 PM UTC  Gareth Southgate head coach / manager of England acknowledges the fans at the end of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Semi Final match between Croatia and England at Luzhniki Stadium on July 11, 2018 in Moscow, Russia. Gareth Southgate head coach / manager of England acknowledges the fans at the end of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Semi Final match between Croatia and England at Luzhniki Stadium on July 11, 2018 in Moscow, Russia.Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA—Getty Images  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Jul 12, 2018 2:55 PM UTC It was a tough day for England: after their overtime loss in a tight [World Cup 2018](http://time.com/longform/world-cup-accidental-renaissance/) semifinal match [against Croatia,](http://time.com/5336308/world-cup-2018-england-theyre-going-home-memes/) the team had to let go of [their high hopes](http://time.com/5336119/english-soccer-fans-beer/) for World Cup glory this year. But after all the crowds had departed Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, there were still a few people left taking in the full weight of the experience. One of them was Gareth Southgate, the head coach and manager of the English soccer team. In a moment captured by cameras, Southgate — a former player himself who ended up managing the English national team for his first World Cup this year — shared a tender embrace with his wife, Alison, in the empty stands. During the course of the tournament in Russia, Southgate has [become a fan favorite](https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-44751017) thanks to his well-regarded [leadership](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jul/10/why-the-nation-fell-for-gareth-southgate) and sportsmanship. (His dapper suit vest attire hasn’t hurt, either.) “At the moment we all feel the pain of defeat,” Southgate [told press after](https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/44798914) the big loss on Wednesday. “I don’t think realistically we expected to be here. But once you’re here and played as well as we did, you want to take those opportunities in life. The dressing room is a difficult place at the moment.” Still, with England fielding the second-youngest squad all around at the World Cup this year, there’s plenty for Southgate to take pride in. “I’m remarkably proud of the group of players,” he added. > [](https://twitter.com/elliotwagland/status/1017345484195876864) Garteh Southgate Embraces Wife in World Cup 2018 Photo ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5336889/gareth-southgate-world-cup/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5336889/gareth-southgate-world-cup/"},"headline":"This Is the Most Tender Photo of the World Cup So Far","datePublished":"2018-07-12T14:55:21.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:53:49.052Z","description":"Gareth Southgate won many hearts this year","url":"https://time.com/5336889/gareth-southgate-world-cup/","keywords":["Newsfeed","World Cup 2018"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt26edd039836570ce/698935307cdbac9f70d5d634/gareth-southgate-england.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt26edd039836570ce/698935307cdbac9f70d5d634/gareth-southgate-england.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Croatia v England: Semi Final - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia","caption":"Croatia v England: Semi Final - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia","creditText":"Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5336889/gareth-southgate-world-cup/","name":"This Is the Most Tender Photo of the World Cup So Far"}}]}] ```