RUSSIA—On Tuesday, July 3, after ending regulation with a 1-1 tie, England managed to defeat Columbia 4-3 on penalty kicks to advance to the quarterfinals against Sweden.
Harry Kane, the forward for England, scored 6 goals in 3 matches this year. During Tuesday night’s game in a Russian stadium, Kane scored from 12 yards, giving England the lead just before the hour. Eric Deir stepped up to the penalty line and scored, eliminating Columbia.
As Columbia missed their qualifying chance for the quarterfinals, James Rodriguez is out. This was England’s second shootout victory out of eight attempts at major tournaments, and many are saying that they’ve broken their “penalty jinx.”
According to The Guardian, England’s supporters partied at the end of the stadium hours after the match ended. England will meet Sweden on Saturday, July 7 for the opportunity to play Russia or Croatia in the World Cup semifinals. Other teams competing in the quarterfinals include: Urugray vs. France, Brazil vs. Belgium and Russia vs. Croatia.
