Pickford Stretches to Help England Fly Past Colombia in a Gritty Round of 16 Tie

England has just won a penalty shootout in a major tournament. Cue: Apocalypse? Nah. Rather what followed was boisterous bedlam at the Spartak Stadium, as even after an hour had gone from the closing of the match the English supporters were still partying at one end of the stadium. After all not only was this England’s first victory in a football match which had gone to the penalties since Euro 1996, this was also England winning a knockout tie since beating Ecuador in 2006. Contrary to what people expect from England in a football tournament, Southgate’s young side are quietly showing the world that a break from the inglorious tradition of underachieving is finally achieved.

And yet a sense of deja vu hung above the dense atmosphere of the Spartak Stadium. England leading 1-0 found themselves in familiar territory as Mina, the tallest of the Colombian players competed with the tallest English counterpart, Harry Mcguire and aimed a header towards goal. The ball bounced in front of Trippier, who was not tall enough to check the ball from going into the net. It was the 92nd minute of the match. As it stood, England will now have to compete against a Colombian team who had refused to yield a single yard without giving a proper fight. And fight they did, both with and without the ball.

As England won only their second penalty shootout ever from their eighth attempt, the team can be excused if they feel aggrieved that the match got dragged into the penalties. After Kane was brought down in the 38th minute of the match, both the teams got into a major scuffle while Trippier and Young hovered over the ball adjusting the angle of the soon to be taken free-kick. Within the Colombian penalty box, things, however, had heated up considerably. Barrios had lost his cool and without provocation headbutted Jordan Henderson. Though the Liverpool captain made the most of it, the video replays indicate that it was an intentional act, one which merits not only a penalty, but also a red card for Barrios. The incident was replayed by the VAR officials, who for some inconceivable reasons failed to take the correct call here. In a tournament where the VAR has proved the footballing luddites wrong, this was a minor failure.

This was the pattern of the match. The antics and foreboding sense of deja vu overshadowed the game. England had started brightly with the fullbacks pushing the Colombian defense high up the pitch. Ashley Young won the first free-kick of the match when his attempted cross hit Mina’s hand. England’s chances throughout the match came mostly from set-pieces and not open play. Colombia were handed a disadvantage right from their previous match when James, the spritely star of the team had hobbled off in the first half encounter between Colombia and Senegal.

Quinterro, thus was handed further responsibility of controlling the team. Quinterro, whose playing style is a throwback to the era of Rivaldos and Juan Riquelme is seen by many as a player who certainly does not belong in this era of football. As such, it was a problem which Peckerman had diligently solved during Colombia’s match against Poland. Here it was Quinterro’s weighted passes in the first half which were allowing the Colombians to race towards the English goal. In particular, his attempts at playing Cuadrado and allowing the winger to get behind Young was commendable. Cuadrado, however, had a mixed match and his crossing, in particular, was shoddy.

From England’s perspective, the creative outlet primarily remains Lingard’s link up play with players around him. Lingard’s movement is crisp and fresh to watch. Harry Kane also constantly dropped deep and unsettled both the Colombian defense and midfield. The second half started like the first half’s mirror image and around the 50th-minute mark, England won a free-kick. The Colombians took their part to ensure the symmetry and gifted England with a penalty after Sanchez confused wrestling with defending. Kane obliged from the 12 yards and his boot remains golden.

The remaining half went by with a brewing anxiety among the England supporters. The match steadily scraping away towards extra time further added to their misery. Southgate’s personal horror on missing the penalty at Euro 96 had made him wiser to such situations and England squad have been provided extra care with regards to taking penalties. Southgate’s side has shown immense maturity throughout the match as they refused to participate in Colombia’s dark arts. The squad has shown a good aptitude at learning new things with each new game. As soon as Mina jumped above Mcguire, the real test was on. The world spurred on by the ever sensational British media has been extra curious with respect to the new English team. This is also the tournament when, according to social media accounts, ‘football is coming home’. But before it can do that England were taken into the penalties by an extremely resilient Colombian side who had left no stone unturned, or no trick unused to drag England to what many perceive as their gallows.

And it was familiarity that greeted the viewers again. Here was England in the penalties of a major tournament. The opposition has scored their first three penalties. Their own Henderson in an attempt to ensure parity had forced the usually shaky Ospina to make one of the best penalty saves in recent memories. This was the clue that the night is going to end on an unusual note. Colombia hit the post. England held their nerves. Pickford flies and his outstretched hand takes England into the Quarter Finals where they will face a well organized Swedish team.