BEAUTIFUL England boss: My Lions are young, brave and resilient.. it’s the best day of my coaching life
3 ............ Shots on Target ......... 2 2 ............ Shots off Target ......... 4 1 ............... Blocked Shots ........... 6 1 ..................... Corners ................. 6 10 ..................... Fouls .................... 7 2 ................... Offsides .................. 1 2 ............... Yellow Cards ............. 1 0 .................. Red Cards ............... 0 72.4 .... Passing Success%..79.9 15 ................... Tackles ................. 12 46.7 ........ Tackles Won% ..... 50.0 42 ............ Possession% .......... 58 43.5 ..... Territorial Adv%... 56.5 366 .......... Total Passes ........ 502 15 ............. Total Crosses .......... 23 41.1 .......... 1st Half Poss% . .... 58.9 43.1 ....... 2nd Half Poss% .... 56.9 ENGLAND have already done the nation proud – and now they have the chance to grasp immortality.
Gareth Southgate’s World Cup odyssey continues thanks to goals from Harry Maguire and Dele Alli.
And the Three Lions will now roar into Moscow on Wednesday night for a semi-final date with Croatia.
It has taken Southgate just 23 games as England boss to walk in the footsteps of two managers who were knighted for their services to the game.
He has already matched England’s best tournament performance on foreign soil by reaching the last four, just like Sir Bobby Robson’s side at Italia 90.
His squad will now go home with a medal. But can it be gold? Can they follow in the footsteps of Sir Alf Ramsey and his legends of 1966?
Southgate said: “It is an incredible privilege to be England manager and to take the team this far.
“Knowing the people who have done it in the past, I feel so proud to be in this position.
“I spoke to the players yesterday and said we need to be here for another week – and now it’s up to us what games we play in.
“We’re in a World Cup semi-final. Whether we are in the top four in the world is something we still have to prove, I think.
“We’re not the finished article. We don’t have renowned, world-class players – yet.
“But we have young players who are brave and who have shown mental resilience.
“It is fairly easily my best day in coaching! But it isn’t about me. It’s about the whole group – and to be part of that group is very special.”
England will have to perform better than this to progress further.
Sweden are a game but limited side, yet they still forced Jordan Pickford to make three outstanding second-half saves.
After a pedestrian start, England took control and should have been home and hosed by half-time.
The breakthrough came on the half hour when Ashley Young illustrated why he is in the team at the age of 32 with a deliciously driven corner from the left. When Maguire’s running leap took him high above Emil Forsberg, the defender nicknamed ‘Slabhead’ by Jamie Vardy used his nut to beat Robin Olsen with a violent finish. Raheem Sterling was a livewire once again – but boy does he desperately need a goal. His first sniff of a chance came when Kieran Trippier’s raking long ball dropped invitingly into his path only for Victor Lindelof to rescue his team with a vital challenge. Then, after a late offside flag had saved him the embarrassment of a dreadful miss, he was through on goal again.