England 2-0 Sweden
Hands up – who thought that Ashley Young and Harry Maguire would be among the England squad at FIFA 2018?
Few SBOBET followers did if they’re honest, while even fewer took advantage of FIFA 2018 odds on England progressing to the latter stages.
Yet, here we are, and the unlikely lads are in the semi-finals.
Highlights of the game
Gareth Southgate’s men were never expected to get this far.
On saying that, Janne Andersson’s side arrived in Russia without a win in six games, no goal in 337 minutes and without national hero Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Indeed, the pre-match challenge between heavyweights was a reminder there are no real greats in their class of 2018.
Yet their FIFA 2018 results could not be questioned as they topped a group containing Germany, Mexico and South Korea.
Both managers were well aware that with reigning world champions Germany, reigning European champions Portugal, Spain, Argentina and Brazil all out, this tie and side of the draw presented a ‘golden opportunity’.
A backdrop Saturday at three o’clock between England and the nation which probably plays most like them, this had all the ingredients for a slog in the heat of Samara and its futuristic arena.
Always likely to be more of a cagey battle and dogfight away from the feast of football served up hours earlier.
So it proved in the early stages as neither nation managed to test the respective goalkeepers with only a few opportunistic efforts to write home about.
After a fairly laboured opening period, partly understandable in the heat, it was a pinpoint delivery from Young and a header from Maguire powered past Robin Olsen which set them on their way.
The goal arrived just after the half-hour and was from a set piece – no surprise in a contest that was always more likely to be an archetypal scrap rather than one for the purist.
It could have been over by the break, but Olsen denied the hesitant Raheem Sterling as he rounded the Swedish shot-stopper after being played clean through by Jordan Henderson.
Timing is everything, of course, and that failure to score looked like proving costly to England just two minutes after the restart, until Jordan Pickford managed to claw away a Marcus Berg header that was destined for the net.
It was clear Sweden were more attacking minded after the break. but that was their chance they were unable to score from. After more good work from Young and Kieran Trippier – the wingbacks two of the success stories of England’s World Cup campaign – England doubled the lead.
The tireless Jesse Lingard was the creator this time and delivered another superb ball, headed home by the unmarked Dele Alli.
Again the timing was perfect, just as the Scandinavians looked a threat.
A Swedish goal would have changed the dynamic but once more, when Sweden came calling, Pickford was equal to it.
He got down to his right to keep out a low Viktor Claesson drive before Henderson blocked the goal-bound follow-up.
When the Everton number one then tipped over Berg’s shot on the turn, it was game over.
To a man, every England player did their job and were almost comfortable by the end against a very limited Swedish side.
England’s ninth World Cup quarter-final was a successful one, and they are through to the semi-finals for the first time since 1990.
I was at school then when the late Bobby Robson was in charge, Gazza was in his pomp, Margaret Thatcher was UK Prime Minister and Spitting Image was all the rage on British television.
Twenty-eight years on, and England dare to dream again.
Key statistics
Eight of England’s 11 goals at this tournament have come from set pieces.
This was the 25th time Sweden and England had faced each other, and the third time at a World Cup.
The last time the sides met was in a friendly in November 2012 when Ibrahimovic scored all of Sweden’s goals in a 4-2 win.
Alli is the fifth different player to score a goal for England at the competition, the joint-most by the Three Lions at a World Cup.
What’s next?
The winner between host nation Russia and Croatia are the next opponents for England in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
It’s autumn matches against Austria and Slovakia next for the Swedes which will seem a far cry from the heady summer days they had previously enjoyed during this tournament.
They can head home proud of their efforts.
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