Gareth Southgate believes his England team have already won back the hearts of the nation as they attempt to end the country’s major tournament knockout hoodoo against Colombia.

England take on Colombia in Moscow on Tuesday night for a place in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, having not won a knockout game in any major tournament since beating Ecuador in 2006.

But manager Southgate thinks his young side have already overcome a major hurdle in Russia by winning back the public’s affection and bringing an end to the apathy that overshadowed the qualifying victories over Slovenia and Malta.

“Ten months ago, we qualified (for the World Cup) and people were throwing paper aeroplanes on to the pitch at Wembley,” said Southgate. “We were driving back to our hotel in Malta with some obscene chants being thrown at us from supporters.

“I feel like we’ve started to connect the team with the public again. I feel like we’ve created excitement, like we’ve played in a style that has really shown an expression of what young English players are capable of, and I want us to continue doing that.”