TV View: With no one left to root against, surely we are all rooting for Messi?

The tournament is no longer the same. It has become sorely diminished. 'They' are gone. So who do the Irish nation have to root against now? Nobody. Who do we have to root for? Messi, surely.

FINAL-BOUND: Argentina's Lionel Messi (second left) and Rodrigo De Paul celebrate after the FIFA World Cup semi-final at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar. Pic: Nick Potts/PA Wire

And so, three nights on from Saturday’s high drama in the Al Bayt, we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down, lament what might have been (i.e. two more opportunities to cheer for England’s opponents) and face the last three matches with our hearts not quite in it any more.

The tournament is no longer the same. It has become sorely diminished. 'They' are gone.