[ad_1]
England has qualified for the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time since 2006, but the "Three Lions" still have a lot to prove. Their performance against Colombia was not positive, and even though they started well, they disappeared in the second half as they had done in previous games.
But England has shown courage and determination. Just as it seemed that Colombia had taken control of the game in overtime, with English players visibly tired, they managed to find extra energy.
Although being one of the teams with the most goals, England had to face relatively simple matches, beating Tunisia and Panama in their first matches. On Saturday, he will face a well-organized Sweden, with no brilliance in the quarter-finals, and will have a good chance of qualifying for the semi-finals.
The history of the World Cup is not on their side after decades of disappointment for those where football was born in 1863, and which has the most competitive professional league in the sport.
Tuesday's triumph was only the third in the knockout for England since his arrival in the semi-finals in 1990 Germany on penalties Many still complain about the controversial defeat of the United States. team in 1986 in the quarterfinals by the "Mano de Dios" Diego Armando Maradona
But the history of England in Russia 2018 has a different meaning, at least for the London press. They say the teams are increasing as the competition progresses and that England is definitely a team of increasing expectations.
Charged with individual talent, previous teams in England have produced prolific scorers like Wayne Rooney, Paul Gasgoigne and Gary Lineker. They have always missed something: the confidence of feeling winners.
With England in the quarterfinals and meeting with the eliminated favorite teams (Germany, Argentina or Spain), fans of England can start dreaming of going to the finals on July 15th. , something that they have not accomplished since they won the trophy in 1966, the date of their last and only championship.
In fact, the elimination of Switzerland on Tuesday leaves England in the standings. Sweden, second in the World Cup in 1958, is ranked 24th (Sweden has not reached the semifinals since 1994.)
England manager Gareth Southgate claimed that his young team had reconnected with his supporters After past disappointments, many fans believed that they would leave early in this tournament.
"Players were able to change their perception of how the England team could play," Southgate told reporters. "I feel we generated excitement, as we played with a style that really demonstrated what young English players are capable of doing, and I want us to keep doing it."
With his youth and his innocence. clean, he convinced the public. England has the third youngest team in Russia, with an average age of 26, after France and Nigeria. In fact, the England team is the least experienced of the 2018 World Cup, with an average of 20 players per player, compared to the average of 34 other teams.
They have a world-clbad striker in Harry Kane, but not yet fully tested against a first clbad defense.
Marcus Rashford, 20, is the 12th youngest player in the tournament, and Captain Kane is only 24, though he's been known for his attitude. John Stones (24), Harry Maguire (25) and Kieran Trippier (27) were solid in the defensive system with three men in the background, but none had played before the Cup. of the world.
Striker Raheem Sterling is an outstanding talent, but he has a sad scoreless record in his 23 games in England
England's success relies on Kane, by far the most player important of the team. He has 108 goals in 153 Premier League matches. He is six feet and two inches tall and weighs 188 pounds (85 kg). He has a presence in the arches that the defenders have come to fear
The Londoner is the top scorer of the World Cup with six goals in three matches (because he's rested against Belgium in the last match of the World Cup).
Kane joined Tottenham Hotspur at the age of 11 and signed as a professional in 2009 at the age of 16. At the age of six, he played with the juvenile Ridgeway Rovers, a team that produced a generation ago David Beckham.
But doubts remain. England has never beaten a high-level team in a World Cup elimination match, with the exception of the 1966 final, and the only matches that the England has won since 1990 were against Ecuador in 2006 and Denmark in 2002.
Technical Director Southgate admitted that England can not be considered a top team until the end of the year. that they beat the best teams. And that's still the case after their 1-0 defeat of what was actually a Belgian "B" team in their last group match. Tuesday's victory over Colombia, ranked 16th, has not changed that perception.
Source link
