The most incredible, unbelievable thing happened on Tuesday in Russia.
England *won* on penalties to beat Colombia and advance to the quarterfinals of the World Cup, where Sweden awaits on Saturday.
The Three Lions seemingly exorcised their penalty demons with a 4-3 win on penalties after a 1-1 result in regulation against Colombia, aided by a painful 93rd minute header by Yerry Mina to send the match to extra time.
The first two rounds of penalties went according to plan, but Colombia held the advantage after the third round following a save by Colombia keeper David Ospina on England’s Jordan Henderson.
England was handed a reprieve in the fourth round when Mateus Uribe smashed his kick off the bar, and Kieran Trippier equaled for England. But in the fifth round, England keeper Jordan Pickford saved from Carlos Bacca, and Eric Dier slid his penalty just off of Ospina’s hand into the corner, banishing the demons from England’s consciousness and sending them into the quarters.
#MundialTelemundo El penal de Eric Dier que le dio el pase a #ENG a los Cuartos de Final. pic.twitter.com/08ZixOIJDS
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) July 3, 2018
Absolutely unreal. England somehow didn’t live down to the expectations that many (including myself) had for them going into penalties. They’re two wins away from the World Cup Final, and three wins away from their second-ever World Cup title. They got a favorable draw on their side of the bracket (especially compared to the Uruguay-France-Brazil-Belgium meat grinder on the other side), but today’s match showed that it still won’t be easy.
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