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England players celebrate victory
It still felt monumental an hour afterwards when Gareth Southgate came out on to the Spartak Stadium pitch and raised his fist to the England fans who had continued singing, a salute and also a farewell to 28 years of a nation messing up these great tournament moments.
The first World Cup penalty shoot-out victory in four, just the second in a major tournament, the first won on foreign soil, and suddenly the English game is looking at itself anew with also the possibility of so much more.
Southgate’s team are in the quarter-finals of a World Cup finals, the favourites against Sweden, and now England and English football has to confront the enormity of what might be achieved.
The history of this England team, with the handbrake on for decades, a story of the same mistakes often made by the same people, is now changing by the day as Southgate’s players emerge as genuine contenders to be the 2018 world champions.
They came back from a 93rd-minute Colombia equaliser in the tradition of the great England team of 1966 who, having won it once on that July afternoon at Wembley, were obliged by West Germany’s late equaliser to win it all over again.
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There was once talk of long-term goals, and a clock of destiny somewhere
at the Football Association that counted down to Qatar 2022 but now the
clock ticks down to 5pm local time in Samara on Saturday when a
remarkable opportunity can be grasped.
Sweden are ranked 24th in the world, a spirited, well-organised bunch without a star among them who prefer the opposition to have the ball and seize the handful of chances that might come their way.
The England players celebrate with Jordan Pickford
A group of players were asked by their manager to be open about their fears and to confront them and there were times in the cool Moscow evening when they must have wondered whether the old curse was to take hold anyway.
It was the third minute of injury-time when the Colombia defender Yerry Mina climbed highest to head the ball down, seeing it bounce over Kieran Trippier who got his clearing header on the line wrong.
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England players celebrate victory
It still felt monumental an hour afterwards when Gareth Southgate came out on to the Spartak Stadium pitch and raised his fist to the England fans who had continued singing, a salute and also a farewell to 28 years of a nation messing up these great tournament moments.
The first World Cup penalty shoot-out victory in four, just the second in a major tournament, the first won on foreign soil, and suddenly the English game is looking at itself anew with also the possibility of so much more.
Southgate’s team are in the quarter-finals of a World Cup finals, the favourites against Sweden, and now England and English football has to confront the enormity of what might be achieved.
The history of this England team, with the handbrake on for decades, a story of the same mistakes often made by the same people, is now changing by the day as Southgate’s players emerge as genuine contenders to be the 2018 world champions.
They came back from a 93rd-minute Colombia equaliser in the tradition of the great England team of 1966 who, having won it once on that July afternoon at Wembley, were obliged by West Germany’s late equaliser to win it all over again.
Tweet to @worldnowtrend
Sweden are ranked 24th in the world, a spirited, well-organised bunch without a star among them who prefer the opposition to have the ball and seize the handful of chances that might come their way.
In 2002
England reached the World Cup quarter-final and were up against the
Brazil of Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho.
Four years later it was a more modest Portugal side and this time the opportunity is even greater. But in the meantime there is much to enjoy in this England team of millennial Premier League stars coaxed out of their comfort zone by Southgate and emboldened to lay the ghosts of the past to rest.
Southgate’s ghosts too, and perhaps that is what was on his mind as he treated himself to a moment with the fans afterwards.
Thinking back 22 summers to when he took that penalty No 6 himself at Euro ’96 and the Germany goalkeeper Andreas Kopke read his intentions.
Perhaps it was the same telling glance that Jordan Pickford saw in the eyes of the Colombia substitute Carlos Bacca for penalty No 5, jabbing an arm upwards to turn the ball away.
Pickford was the hero of this shoot-out, a strong personality who ushered Colombian players away when they came to commiserate with Mateus Uribe who crashed the fourth against the bar.
It was Pickford who handed the ball to Eric Dier for the fifth decisive kick, and the Spurs man drilled it beyond the reach of Arsenal’s David Ospina. Jordan Henderson, history will note, had his penalty,
No 3, saved but instead of being a decisive moment it was simply a footnote to a splendid night for English football.
Four years later it was a more modest Portugal side and this time the opportunity is even greater. But in the meantime there is much to enjoy in this England team of millennial Premier League stars coaxed out of their comfort zone by Southgate and emboldened to lay the ghosts of the past to rest.
Southgate’s ghosts too, and perhaps that is what was on his mind as he treated himself to a moment with the fans afterwards.
Thinking back 22 summers to when he took that penalty No 6 himself at Euro ’96 and the Germany goalkeeper Andreas Kopke read his intentions.
Perhaps it was the same telling glance that Jordan Pickford saw in the eyes of the Colombia substitute Carlos Bacca for penalty No 5, jabbing an arm upwards to turn the ball away.
Pickford was the hero of this shoot-out, a strong personality who ushered Colombian players away when they came to commiserate with Mateus Uribe who crashed the fourth against the bar.
It was Pickford who handed the ball to Eric Dier for the fifth decisive kick, and the Spurs man drilled it beyond the reach of Arsenal’s David Ospina. Jordan Henderson, history will note, had his penalty,
No 3, saved but instead of being a decisive moment it was simply a footnote to a splendid night for English football.
The England players celebrate with Jordan Pickford
A group of players were asked by their manager to be open about their fears and to confront them and there were times in the cool Moscow evening when they must have wondered whether the old curse was to take hold anyway.
It was the third minute of injury-time when the Colombia defender Yerry Mina climbed highest to head the ball down, seeing it bounce over Kieran Trippier who got his clearing header on the line wrong.