00:00England's World Cup progress has created excitement across the country, but there's particular
00:06interest in the North East. Supporters are following the journeys of Dan Byrne and Jordan
00:11Pickford, two players with strong links to the region, as England prepare for a semi-final
00:16against Argentina.
00:19Having overcome a Norway side featuring an absolute beast of a goalscorer in Erling
00:23Haaland and Arsenal's title-winning captain Martin Odegaard, people are starting to believe
00:27this might just be England's year.
00:31I thought they were hot and weary and so would I be in that condition. So it was really hot
00:40but both sides were the same, both of them were hot and weary and I think Norway played
00:46very very well and it was equal and were very lucky. But Bellamy is ace. Well funnily enough
00:57I watched all the English matches and I thought I would beat that Norway would win the World
01:02Cup, yes.
01:03You know they've been interviewing the coach from Big Dan and you know, so I think it's
01:11garnered a lot of attention in the North East, especially around certainly those two players,
01:15yes.
01:15For supporters in the North East, England's World Cup journey has had a local connection,
01:20with two familiar names playing their part on the biggest stage.
01:24Dan Byrne has become a talking point after his memorable contribution in the previous round
01:29against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium. The Newcastle United defender helped England through
01:34a difficult spell after coming on, producing a strong defensive display before making a shorter
01:40appearance against Norway. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford who came through the Sunderland Academy
01:47has also been central to the conversation. He's been a regular presence for England throughout
01:52the tournament, although his role in Norway's goal has prompted debate among some pundits and
01:58supporters.
02:00Yeah, it was pretty exciting. I think we were quite lucky. It was a good game. But yeah,
02:05we're lucky.
02:05I feel like it could be like helping quite heavily because obviously they'll be happy to see like
02:11somebody from their area is participating in such a wide variety of sport and it'll bring
02:16more attention to their area.
02:18Yeah, I feel like we could bring more people together and be like, oh, we support this one
02:21big team.
02:38For England supporters in the North East and beyond, attention now turns to the semi-final
02:43against Argentina. England haven't beaten Argentina in a World Cup knockout match since 1966, the
02:50year they lifted the trophy. Some supporters will see that as an omen with another victory
02:55against Argentina potentially opening the door to another historic moment.
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