England’s opponents in Wednesday’s semi-final have been confirmed after Croatia beat Russia in a penalty shootout.
The Three Lions will face Croatia at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow after the World Cup hosts crashed out.
It came hours after England clinched a 2-0 win over Sweden in a dramatic match at the Samara Arena – enabling them to advance to their first semi-final since 1990.
Harry Maguire opened the scoring for England – heading the ball home from an Ashley Young corner half an hour into the game.
It was another typical England set piece and Maguire’s first international goal.
Despite that, it was a jittery first half with England coming close several times. Just before the half-time whistle blew, Raheem Sterling twice had the ball deep in Sweden’s territory with little or no defence in front of him, but squandered both chances.
In the second half, Sweden looked dangerous as England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was forced to produce a stunning save after Marcus Berg’s towering header looked destined for the back of the net.
But England pressed home their advantage in the 58th minute with a Dele Alli header following an attack that seemed to involve most of England’s front line.
Sweden’s response was never far away as Pickford was forced once more to make a quick reaction save after two close strikes from Sweden’s Viktor Claesson.
Marcus Berg had another chance in the 71st minute with a shot Pickford just managed to get a finger on, pushing the ball over the bar.
It was confirmation of the brilliant game the England number one was having.
Speaking after the game, captain Harry Kane said: “I thought we were fantastic today, Sweden made it very difficult.”
When asked if he thought football was “coming home”, goalscorer Maguire said he had his “fingers crossed”.
Fellow goalscorer Alli said the result was a “great achievement for the team” but said it was not his “best performance”.
England manager Gareth Southgate said it was an “incredible feeling” to be through to the semi-finals.
“Our spirit was as good as theirs [Sweden’s] but our quality was better… I can’t speak highly enough of the whole squad,” he said. “You don’t just get through with 11 players.”
Among those reacting to the historic win on Twitter was Prince William, who posted to the Kensington Palace account.
“You wanted to make history @England and you are doing just that,” he wrote. “This has been an incredible #WorldCup run and we’ve enjoyed every minute. You deserve this moment – Football’s Coming Home! W.”
British Airways also tweeted, posting a picture of a mocked-up boarding pass showing football “coming home”.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan hailed the result too, praising England’s “terrific” performance.
Sir Geoff Hurst, who won the World Cup with England in 1966, tweeted: “Magnificent win, magnificent display, magnificent team, and some terrific individual performances, Trippier, Pickford, Maguire, Sterling, absolutely delighted.
“One to take home! #ENGSWE #WorldCup #ItsComingHome.”
From – SkyNews
