England advances in shootout
Forsberg delivers as Sweden bounces the Swiss
England ended its long run of penalty misery and reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 12 years, beating Colombia 4-3 in a shootout on Tuesday.
Eric Dier scored the decisive kick after a 1-1 draw.
England will play Sweden in the quarter-finals in Samara on Saturday. It is the furthest England has progressed in any tournament since the David Beckham era, when a golden generation of players exited the 2002 and 2006 World Cups in the last eight.
England took the lead in a scrappy match when Harry Kane scored from the penalty spot in the 57th minute. Yerry Mina headed in an equalizer in the third minute of stoppage time.
England trailed 3-2 in the shootout after Jordan Henderson’s shot was saved, but Mateus Uribe hit the bar and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford then saved Carlos Bacca’s kick.
Sweden 1, Switzerland 0
Shy, diminutive and without that distinctive ponytail, Emil Forsberg couldn’t be more different than the larger-than-life Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
They share an ability to conjure something out of nothing on a soccer field, though, as Forsberg showed in leading Sweden into the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 24 years.
Forsberg dropped his shoulder to create space at the edge of the area and scored with a deflected shot to earn the Swedes a 1-0 victory over Switzerland on Tuesday.
“It brings tears to my eyes,” Forsberg said, “and makes me so proud.”
The 26-year-old Forsberg arrived in Russia shouldering much of Sweden’s creative burden following the international retirement of Ibrahimovic, who ruled the national team for more than a decade and is the greatest player the country ever produced.
Forsberg was quiet in the group stage but the attacking midfielder’s skills and slick movement stood out against Switzerland in an otherwise scrappy game between two of Europe’s less-decorated nations.
“He has developed in terms of the holistic approach to his game,” Sweden coach Janne Andersson said. “Even if he doesn’t succeed in every dribble, in every part of his game he contributes in so many ways and he has those decisive moments.”
Forsberg didn’t get much power behind his shot and it was likely heading straight for Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer. However, it took a deflection off the foot of centre back Manuel Akanji and bounced up and into the net.
Sweden became the fifth European team to reach the quarterfinals and will next play England on Saturday in Samara. Limited but with a highly effective game plan, the Swedes should not be underestimated.