England fans at the Otkritie Arena would’ve been rubbing their eyes in disbelief while others adjusted their television sets when Eric Dier’s penalty found the back at the net.
At the fourth time of asking, England finally won a World Cup penalty shootout to book their place in the quarter-finals in Russia with Colombia missing out.
Harry Kane opened the scoring in the 57th minute when he converted a penalty having been felled in the box by Carlos Sanchez during a corner kick.
However, Colombia then scored from their first corner of the game as Yerry Mina rose highest to head home in the 92nd minute to level the score at 1-1 and take the game into extra-time where no goals were forthcoming.
Despite David Ospina saving Jordan Henderson’s effort to give his side the advantage in the shootout, Mateus Uribe hit the crossbar when his number was up before Jordan Pickford saved Carlos Bacca’s strike.
Dier stepped up to take the decisive penalty and though Ospina got a hand to it, his effort found the back of the net to win the shootout 4-3.
VAR DEBATE
VAR was always going to be a topic of discussion at this World Cup and it will continue to be long after the tournament’s conclusion. There’s nothing wrong with the technology, that’s the good news. It furnishes the officials everything they require to arrive at the correct decision. However, it can’t account for the interpretation of events and that’s wherein lies the grey area and with it, the potential for error and inconsistency.
As England were awarded a free-kick in the 38th minute, an altercation ensued between Henderson and Wilmar Barrios in the box as Colombia tried to organise their defensive wall. The Liverpool midfielder was left on the deck and replays showed the Colombian headbutt him during their jostle.
After receiving word from the VAR officials, referee Mark Geiger issued only a yellow card to Barrios, much to England’s bewilderment. While there was never a question of a penalty given the ball was not in play, the rules of the game dictate that his headbutt – which is considered ‘violent conduct’ – warrants a sending off.
Why the referee didn’t go over to the sideline and review the incident for himself remains a mystery. Either way, it was the latest incident of controversy around the VAR officiating.
JAMES-SHAPED HOLE
There was much speculation over James Rodriguez’s fitness ahead of this encounter and in the end, he didn’t make the cut. Perhaps the absence of his crown jewel influenced Colombia coach Jose Pekerman’s decision to tweak his formation.
He set up without an attacking midfielder through the middle as Juan Quintero shifted to the left – where James usually operates – and went with three central midfielders with Barrios and Jefferson Lerma joining Carlos Sanchez in the middle of the park.
However, while that served to keep track of England’s midfield runners, it effectively eradicated Colombia’s attacking potential in possession. It wound up inviting England onto them, who were largely the better side and posed more of a threat.
Colombia were left to rely on counter-attacks for their chances and even when the opportunity to break came along, England had the numbers and, crucially, the pace to snuff them out.
It was only Kyle Walker’s error that finally allowed Juan Cuadrado a clear sight at goal before Colombia scored a dramatic equaliser in stoppage time from their first corner.
YOU CAN COUNT ON KANE
Pickford and Dier will command much of the attention for their starring roles in a memorable penalty shootout but it was Kane who was easily England’s talisman.
The skipper put in an inspiring performance, ensuring he wasn’t left on the fringes of play. Apart from an early Kieran Trippier cross, he received little in terms of service but never looked frustrated with his team-mates.
Instead, he only worked harder to get on the ball, hold on to it and win numerous free-kicks in the process. He even won the penalty and despite the exorbitant delay to take it, converted with the utmost composure, as he did his effort during the shootout.
It was a battling performance from a player who looks tailor-made for the England armband and destined for the Golden Boot.
