Moscow
The goalkeeper had done his work, and now Eric Dier stepped to the penalty spot with a chance to not only send the Three Lions to the quarterfinals but exorcise demons from shootouts past, including one that had haunted his coach for 22 years.
England doesn’t win tiebreakers; it’s a dark part of its famous history. But as Dier’s shot traveled 12 yards and rippled the net, ousting Colombia and setting a date with Sweden on Saturday in Samara, a new script had been written.
“It’s a big night for England,” forward Harry Kane said after a 1-1 draw through 120 bruising minutes was settled by a 4-3 decision in the tiebreaker. “This will give us more belief than ever.”
For all the history and lore surrounding English soccer, the national team has not raised a major trophy since the 1966 World Cup, played at home.
It’s been more than a half-century of catastrophe and underachievement, dejection and disappointment, hand-wringing and commiserating at corner pubs. But here now is a squad that arrived in Russia with low expectations and few glamorous names, a likable bunch of lads led by a pleasant coach, Gareth Southgate.
They secured passage out of the group stage without much trouble and, after conceding the equalizer deep into second-half stoppage time on Tuesday and falling behind in the tiebreaker, they prevailed with the fortitude usually displayed by steeled team like Germany.
England had lost six of seven shootouts, including five in a row. The victory came in the 1996 European Championship quarterfinals, followed by a tiebreaking defeat a few days later. Southgate’s miss ended England’s hopes.
“It will never be off my back,” he said. “That’s something that will live with me forever. But today is a special moment for this team and hopefully will give belief to generations of players that follow, because they can see what is possible in life. We always have to believe in what’s possible and not be hindered by history or the expectations.”
In the tiebreaker, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had no chance of stopping Colombia’s first three attempts. But then Mateus Uribe hit the crossbar. And in the fifth round, while diving to his right, Pickford raised his left hand and swatted Carlos Bacca’s bid.
Dier then stepped up, and England — yes, England — had won a shootout.
It ended a nasty affair in front of a pro-Colombian crowd at Spartak Stadium. England went ahead in the 57th minute on Kane’s tournament-leading sixth goal. He drew a penalty kick — Carlos Sanchez rode him to the ground on a corner kick — and converted the shot with a rising effort into the heart of the net.
Kane became the first English player in 79 years to score in six consecutive appearances.
Colombia wasn’t the same without star attacker James Rodriguez, who had not fully recovered from a calf injury suffered in the group finale against Senegal. The Bayern Munich player watched from the front row of the stands, frequently rising to urge on his teammates or gesture and yell about U.S. referee Mark Geiger’s disputed decisions.
The match was not without controversy. In the first half, England demanded a red card on Wilmar Barrios for head-butting Jordan Henderson in the chest and chin.
This was not a head butt like the infamous one that got French superstar Zinedine Zidane sent off in the 2006 World Cup final against Italy. The contact was milder, Henderson embellished (as all players seem to do these days), so Geiger assessed a yellow.
In all, Geiger issued eight warnings. Given the behavior of many players, he could have easily dismissed some.
Colombia coach Jose Pekerman was not pleased with the officiating and implied Geiger was swayed by English players embellishing.
“Was a player falling because he faked the fall or because he is being pushed? There is a lot of confusion with this kind of play, and we see it over and over again at World Cups,” he said.
Colombia’s deeper problem was operating without Rodriguez. There was no one to keep possession, put England under sustained pressure or unlock the resistance with a killer pass.
His team needed him. Juan Cuadrado, a dangerous winger from Italian club Juventus, was kept in check by right back Ashley Young.
Up until the equalizer, Colombia’s best opportunity came in the 82nd minute when Cuadrado missed badly at the end of a swift counterattack. The pressure, though, was intensifying.
In stoppage time, Uribe launched a lightning bolt from extraordinary distance. Pickford answered with an extraordinary save, soaring to his left to prevent one of the great goals in World Cup history.
It led to a consequential corner kick. Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina charged some 70 yards and joined the fray. Cuadrado provided the service. At 6 feet 5, Yerry Mina won the aerial battle.
The ball hopped off the turf in the six-yard box. Stationed on the goal line, Kieran Trippier tried to steer it away. Instead, the ball caromed off the top of his head and into the net.
Behind the goal, in the upper reaches of an enthralled stadium, thousands of yellow-clad Colombians went out of their minds. Closer to the field, Rodriguez hugged two support staff and another injured player, Miguel Borja.
England, though, rebounded from the emotional blow.
“It was a night I knew we were going to get over the line,” Southgate said. “I just felt we had the resilience and belief to get over the line, whatever it was going to take.”