SHOOT OUT WON!

 

3rd July 2018 At last, on this day, England won a World Cup penalty shoot-out! After defeats against West Germany in 1990, Argentina in 1998 and Portugal in 2006 they got the better of Colombia in the Spartak Stadium in Moscow. It was England 1 (Kane) Colombia 1 at the end of extra time in the Round of Last 16 match and ominously it was Jordan Henderson who became the first player to fail to score from the penalty spot. But then Uribe and Bacca missed for Colombia before Eric Dier slotted home the final penalty to give England a 4-3 victory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x-scKCKiCE Surely England would now go on to win the World Cup........next Sweden 2-0 (Maguire, Alli) in the Quarters and inevitably England ran out of steam, losing 1-2 to Croatia in the semi-final in Samara. Trippier was England's scorer. Previously, in the Tournament Group, England had beatenTunisia 2-1 in Volgograd (Kane 2), Panama in Novgorod 6-1 (Kane 3, Stones 2 and LIngard) and lost to "three wins" Belgium 0-1 in Kalingrad. Had this game been drawn (both teams were equal in points, goals for and against), the nation with fewest yellow and red cards would progress! In 2017, the England U17s and U20s had won their age group World Cups and thr U19s had won the European Championships. Southgate took over from Allardyce, with "Three Lions" as the theme song again as it did in 1996. Perhaps it's coming home again this year (25 years later). I'm off to Hepworth United Football Club for a bit of a do-and fish and chips..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJqimlFcJsM