England eliminate Colombia from World Cup in penalty shootout

Harry Kane reacts after scoring a penalty against Colombia.
Harry Kane reacts after scoring a penalty against Colombia. Copyright REUTERS/John Sibley
By Alexander Macrae
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England has booked its place in the quarter finals

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England will face Sweden in the World Cup quarter final after a thrilling penalty shoot-out victory over Colombia.

Eric Dier scored the decisive penalty as England defeated Colombia 4-3 in the penalty shoot-out. England probably deserved to win the game after 90 minutes as they had more chances and more of the ball.

The opening goal came in the second half after Harry Kane was hauled to the ground in the area at a corner. Kane himself took the penalty and fired straight down the middle as Ospina dived to his right. England could have scored more but as Colombia chased the game and pushed forward more and more, they got their reward in the fourth minute of added time as Yerry Mina headed a corner home.

Extra time didn't produce any chances so it went to penalties and when Jordan Pickford saved Carlos Bacca's penalty Eric Dier was given the chance to win it for England and though David Ospina went the right way, he couldn't keep it out.

Five things to take away from England v Colombia

England win a penalty shootout

England's football history is littered with penalty misery, before today they had lost all three penalty shoutouts they had taken part in at World Cups. They have now won their first ever World Cup penalty shootout and they did it in dramatic fashion. It's fair to say that England fans will not be forgetting that in a hurry!

Barrios' "headbutt"

When Jordan Henderson went down in the penalty area after a scuffle in the wall before a free kick, all eyes turned to Wilmar Barrios. Replays showed what looked like a headbutt from the Colombian and when VAR checked it they seemed to confirm there was contact and yet the referee only showed a yellow card. It's clear that plenty of people disagreed with the decision, and it's hard to argue against that.

Colombian tactics

Colombia were dogged, hardworking and a little naughty at times against England as they clearly wanted to get in the heads of the players. There was mixed reactions to their tactics from fans, some saw them as necessary and others saw them as disgraceful. You can see the argument for both sides but seeing the Colombia players scuffing up the penalty spot before Kane's spot kick was a real low point and nobody can condone that. Especially on this stage where there are children all over the world watching and they will learn from the Colombian behaviour.

Pickford's save

Jordan Pickford is England's hero tonight, he saved a penalty which gave Eric Dier the chance to win the match. But not only did Pickford perform spot-kick heroics, he also pulled off a magnificent save from Mateus Uribe's volley. The ball was heading for the top corner until Pickford leapt across goal and tipped it around the post. This was an important night for Pickford, he was under scrutiny after making a couple of errors so far and you have to say that this game will help his confidence massively.

Quarter Finals

We now now all of the quarter finals, and there are some mouthwatering ties along with some surprise inclusions. One team out of Russia, Croatia, England and Sweden will definitely reach the final of the World Cup, which was most definitely not expected before the tournament began. The match-up between Brazil and Belgium is also particularly exciting.

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