England storms into the records
England have set a new record at the football World Cup in Russia by reaching the semi-finals for the first time in 28 years. In their quarter-final match on 7 July, Harry Maguire and Dele Alli scored a goal each, and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made three crucial saves to knock Sweden out of the tournament.
The last time England reached the semi-finals of the World Cup was in 1990, when they lost to Germany on penalties. The only other time England have reached this stage of the competition was in 1966, when they got through to the final and beat West Germany to win the World Cup.
England’s semi-final match against Croatia took place after The Week Junior went to press, but whatever the result, the England players and the fans will consider this World Cup a success, having got this far in the tournament. Up to 10,000 fans were expected to fly to Moscow for the semi-final, with some tickets for the match costing up to £11,000.
Croatia reached the semi-final after knocking the hosts, Russia, out of the competition in their quarterfinal match. The game went all the way to a penalty shootout, which Croatia won 4-3. The winner of England vs Croatia will play France in the final, after France beat Belgium in the other semi-final on 10 July. Belgium will now play either England or Croatia in the play-off for third place, the day before the final.
England’s Harry Kane is currently top scorer in the tournament with six goals. In his first World Cup, Kane has a good chance of winning the Golden Boot Award, which is presented to the player who scores the most goals. The last time an England player was top scorer in a World Cup was in 1986, in Mexico, when Gary Lineker scored six goals.