England slay their demons, beat Colombia on penalties

They did it! They actually did it! England has won a World Cup penalty shootout for the first time in their history. And it’s not just the World Cup where they’ve struggled in this regard — the shootout failure that sticks out most in the minds of fans is probably Euro ‘96, at home, when current manager Gareth Southgate missed the decisive spot kick.

England was well on top for most of the match, eventually earning a penalty in the 54th minute when Carlos Sanchez took down Harry Kane in the box, and Kane went on to convert from the spot.

But Colombia fought until the final whistle and scored a stoppage time equalizer. Jordan Pickford came up with an unbelievable save on a rocket of a shot by Santiago Arias, but the Colombians scored on the ensuing corner, with Yerry Mina rising up above everyone to head in a goal. You should listen to Andres Cantor’s call.

Extra time was tense, but featured few clear-cut chances. As was almost certainly pre-determined by a higher power, England ended up in a penalty shootout. This time around, they came up clutch. Jordan Henderson had his penalty well saved by David Ospina, but Colombia missed twice — Mateus Uribe hit the crossbar and Carlos Bacca had his shot saved. Eric Dier scored the winning penalty, sending England to the quarterfinal.

Colombia will shoot first. Here we go...

Radamel Falcao SCORES! Blasted past Pickford.
Harry Kane SCORES! He’s been incredible from the spot.
Juan Cuadrado SCORES! Also absolutely blasted it.
Marcus Rashford SCORES! Another rocket.
Luis Muriel SCORES! Fools Pickford, dribbler down the middle.
Jordan Henderson MISSES! Saved by David Ospina.
Mateus Uribe MISSES! He hits the crossbar!
Kieran Trippier SCORES! Picks out the top corner.
Carlos Bacca MISSES! Pickford comes up huge!
Eric Dier SCORES!

England wins the shootout, 4-3.

Was that dramatic enough for you? Both teams had chances to win during a nervous extra time period, but couldn’t find the back of the net. Can England break their long-standing penalty shootout curse?

If you need a refresher, here’s how World Cup penalty shootouts work.

SO CLOSE.

It’s fair to say that Colombia’s goal caused a huge swing in momentum. England were in control for most of the game, but Colombia have been well on top since extra time started. Sensing his team needed some fresh legs, Gareth Southgate has brought Danny Rose on for Ashley Young, but it hasn’t been enough to turn the tide yet.

30 minutes of free soccer! England was sure it was coming home, but that now seems extremely uncertain after Yerry Mina’s stoppage time equalizer. If you thought regular time had a lot of fighting, flopping and general petulance, you’re going to love the next half-hour!

We now go to extra time. If you need a refresher, here are the World Cup overtime rules.

Just seconds after Jordan Pickford looked like he’d made a game-saving hero play, Colombia scores anyway. Pickford made an amazing stop on a shot by Santiago Arias, but Colombia sent everyone forward on the ensuing corner and scored. Mina jumped above everyone, powered his header into the turf, and Kieran Trippier whiffed on his clearance attempt.

Oh nooooooooo Cuadrado whyyyyyyyyyy

What a mess that was. Carlos Sanchez pushes down Kane in the box, it’s a clear penalty, but we have three minutes of scuffling before it could be taken. Colombia players dug up the penalty spot and Jordan Henderson was booked in the process. But eventually, Kane drilled his spot kick into the top corner to give England the lead.

Here’s how this game has gone for 45 minutes: England passes the ball around the middle, attacks halfheartedly, doesn’t really get anywhere. Colombia wins the ball and counter-attacks, but it’s snuffed out quickly. The Colombians’ first shot on target came in first half stoppage time, and England only have one of their own as well.

Usually, this is a red card or nothing. Strangely, the VAR official has informed center ref Mark Geiger that Barrios committed a yellow card offense with this headbutt. Colombia still has 11 men, but Barrios will be suspended if Colombia advances.

It’s been all England early, and this is the closest they’ve come to scoring. This isn’t a bad miss from Kane — he did well just to get on the end of it — but he’ll still want this one back.

England rested a lot of players against Belgium in their last group stage game, but they’ve reintroduced their first choice players. The team that defeated Tunisia on the first match day is back, including Dele Alli, who picked up a minor injury in that game. Colombia is without James Rodriguez and has picked a defensive lineup, with both Wilmar Barrios and Carlos Sanchez getting starts in the center.

During Colombia’s final group stage game against Senegal, James Rodriguez suffered a calf injury, was substituted, and walked straight down the tunnel. Thankfully, his injury isn’t serious, but he will not play against England despite his manager’s comments on Monday.

“We had good news after the medical tests and I knew he doesn’t have a serious injury,” Colombia manager Jose Peckerman said, “so we will see how he feels and as always we hope he will be able to play for the following games.”

But James won’t play any part in the game at all. He’s not dressed.

The Round of 16 finishes on Tuesday with Colombia and England both looking to grab the last quarterfinal spot. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. ET at the Spartak Stadium in Moscow, Russia, and you can watch it on Fox and Telemundo. Online streaming is also available in English through Fox Sports Go here or in Spanish through Telemundo here.

After England were knocked out the group stage in the 2014 World Cup, the team looks to continue its success and move on to the quarterfinal round. Colombia advanced to the quarterfinal of the 2014 World Cup and look to have the same success this year. The winner of the match will face Sweden in a quarterfinal.

Time: 2 p.m. ET

Location: Spartak Stadium, Moscow, Russia

TV: Fox (English), Telemundo (Spanish)

Streaming: Watch the game on Fox Sports Go (English) and Telemundo Deportes en vivo (Spanish) for free if you sign in with your TV provider. It’s also on subscription services like Fubo and Hulu.

Odds: England -0.25 (Full odds at OddsShark)

James Rodriguez is the heartbeat of Colombia

Rodriguez is a difference maker. Whether through scoring or assisting, he finds a way to be critical for Colombia. The best thing about him is that he will do so even when there doesn’t seem to be a reasonable route to score or make a pass. He’s in the class of players that’s so talented they’re often described as “magical,” because they’re capable of doing things that other professionals — other great players, even — aren’t capable of doing.

World Cup 2018: Who has advanced to the quarterfinals?

We have made it through the group stage and to the Round of 16 for the 2018 World Cup! It’s win or go home from here on out in Russia. Here is a look at teams and schedule for the Round of 16. We will be updating this as teams clinch spot in the quarterfinals.