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At the final whistle, players in red came closer to each other. Gareth Southgate was snuggled in a bear hug with his staff and a party was already going behind the goal to their right. England had reserved its place in a World Cup semifinal and it's been so long – more than a quarter of a century since the last time – that it was probably inevitable that it would not be possible. They dance in the field as well as in
If we were to be difficult, a legitimate argument could be made that, yes, England will have to play with more finesse if she really wants to have serious ambitions. They will have to pbad the ball more effectively and perhaps, in possession, show a little more arrogance, in the manner of a camp that really believes they can do it. France, for example. Or Belgium
For the moment, however, Southgate and its players have the right to cherish these moments by keeping in mind the last time Bobby Robson was manager and the Spitting Image's puppet of the English manager was a worried senile called Rubbisho. Turin, 1990, with the penalties, the tears of Gazza and all that, is inscribed in the history of England. This time maybe there will be a happy ending. One could forgive England for questioning about future glories and, on that basis, they should not be afraid to meet Russia or Croatia on Wednesday in Moscow.
Why not be confident when England scored a lot of goals, 11, as Alf Ramsey 's team made to win the competition in 1966? Eight of them, surprisingly, came from sets-sets, the latest being the head of Harry Maguire to tip this match for England from a corner to half an hour
Dele Alli calmed all persistent nerves with the second goal just before the hour and, despite all the euphoria, Southgate could be on something he feels his team can play considerably better than for their last victory. At first, in particular, it had to be disconcerting for Southgate to see how his team was struggling to find a rhythm and in those times, it was tempting to wonder if the opportunity had happened to a few players.
In their previous games, England had been so quick to set the tempo, pbading the ball incisively and making it clear from the first minute that they would be happy to bring the game to their opponents. This was not the case here. Everything seemed so laborious and, until the end, it was hard to remember a single notable chance, except perhaps when Kane dropped 20 yards and pbaded the ball over the post.
In the end, this lethargic departure may quickly be forgotten given the way England took control once they had taken the lead on their first corner. No other player in this tournament has won more aerial challenges than Maguire and it was odd to say the least, that Sweden has appointed Emil Forsberg to mark it. Maguire, to put it in context, had a seven-inch advantage. It was an imbalance, the ball hit Maguire 's forehead and England had scored a corner for the fourth time in this tournament.
To be critical for a moment, there is a school of thought that England is moving away from relying on set-play goals. A better argument, perhaps, is that Southgate players have discovered a useful weapon to help their opponents. And, from elsewhere, it's not as if England had shown that she was unable to set up scoring opportunities through open play. Their second goal here was the case, with a concerted offensive possession spell, a pbad played by Kieran Trippier, Jesse Lingard's center and, finally, Alli with a header at the far post.
Dele Alli scores England's second goal in the quarter-finals of the World Cup against Sweden at the Samara Arena. Photography: Kieran McManus / BPI / Rex / Shutterstock
Sweden will reflect on Jordan Pickford's stoppage of Marcus Berg early in the second half, and brilliantly when Victor Claesson was lucky enough to change the color of the match at 2-0. At that time, however, England had emerged as the dominant team, controlling the ball and unhappy perhaps the best of their chances fell to Raheem Sterling rather than, say, Harry Kane.
Sterling's first head-to-head with goalkeeper, Robin Olsen, ended in a late offside flag, although the English number 10 did not know it. The second would have made 2-0 in the interval and, although it was largely inconsequential in the end, it is the stage of the competition where Southgate desperately needs his players before have ice in the veins. Despite all his many qualities, Sterling is turning too often for mud and, as long as he does, he will always remember that his England record has now reached two goals in 41 appearances
. Sterling played his role, still in the race, seeking to create misdeeds and England went through the game with no yellow card for the three players – Kyle Walker, Jordan Henderson and Lingard – who would have missed the semifinal with another reservation. In other words, the Southgate team will be in full force. Everything, as he says, is possible
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