The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
England, Croatia advance
England dispatches Sweden, sets date with Croatia in semifinals
Harry Maguire of England celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal in a quarterfinal victory over Sweden. Croatia defeated host Russia in a shootout in Saturday’s other game.
SAMARA, Russia — England achieved something David Beckham’s generation never managed: It reached the semifinals of the World Cup.
Harry Maguire and Dele Alli scored with headers in a 2-0 win over Sweden on Saturday, earning England’s youthful team a match against Croatia for a place in the final on July 15.
“We looked composed,” England captain Harry Kane said. “We looked like we controlled the game.”
England’s fairly muted celebrations reflected the routine nature of the victory over a hard-working Swedish side that had already gone further than expected in its first major tournament without Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
England’s deep run also is a surprise. Not even the England side containing stars like Beckham, Steven Gerrard and a young Wayne Rooney ever got this far at a major tournament.
The 1966 World Cup champions last reached the semifinals in 1990, losing the first of a series of haunting penalty shootouts. In 2014, the team didn’t even make it out of the group stage.
Yet the performances of Gareth Southgate’s squad — the second youngest at the tournament — are being celebrated wildly back home. Even at Wimbledon, the home of lawn tennis, updates of England’s goals were spread by fans watching or listening to the match on their cell phones.
“I know the fans here are enjoying it,” Kane said. “The fans at home, I’m sure we’ll see some videos tonight of them enjoying it.”
The chant of “On our way, on our way, to Moscow, on our way” came from England fans in one corner of the Samara Arena throughout the match, and the team’s march to the Russian capital is being fuelled by goals from set pieces. There was another against Sweden, with Maguire heading in a driven corner from Ashley Young in the 30th minute. It was England’s eighth set-piece goal of its 11 in Russia, and the center back’s first in international soccer.
The standard of England’s crossing has particularly stood out this tournament, and Alli added the second goal by meeting a farpost cross from midfielder Jesse Lingard with a powerful header in the 59th. At 22, Alli became the second-youngest scorer for England at a World Cup behind Michael Owen.
It proved to be a match too far for the Swedes, who advanced further than they ever did with Ibrahimovic — the team’s star for more than a decade — by being compact and hard to break down. That helped them win a two-leg playoff against Italy to get to the World Cup, top a group containing Germany, and then beat Switzerland in the round of 16.
They began solidly against England in a slow and sloppy start to the game that resembled a pre-season friendly at times, only to be outdone by a goal Sweden isn’t used to conceding.
“Up until that corner, I felt that we had everything under control,” Sweden coach Janne Andersson said. “I felt that we had the match in our hands.”
Although Sweden rallied in the final 30 minutes, forcing two good saves from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, England comfortably held on for its first shutout of the tournament.
CROATIA 2, RUSSIA 2 (CROATIA ADVANCES 4-3
ON PENALTY KICKS): Croatia ended Russia’s surprising World Cup run with a 4-3 penalty shootout victory in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Ivan Rakitic scored the deciding penalty after a 2-2 draw.
The overachieving hosts, the lowest ranked nation in the tournament, were trying to make it to the World Cup semifinals for the first time since the Soviet Union team finished fourth at the 1966 tournament in England.
Croatia hadn’t advanced this far at the World Cup since the 1998 World Cup, which was its first appearance.
Croatia will next play England in the semifinals on Wednesday in Moscow. The English team defeated Sweden 2-0.
Russia defender Mario Fernandes scored the equalizing goal in extra time, but then sent his penalty wide of the net in the shootout.
Croatia defender Domagoj Vida also scored in extra time with a header in the 101st minute.
Denis Cheryshev gave Russia the lead with a shot into the upper corner in the 31st minute and Croatia equalized with Andrej Kramaric’s header near halftime.