England reinvent themselves in Russia
July 4, 2018
It was a moment not caught by the cameras. Over 100 minutes into a venomous encounter, England's round-of-16 clash with Colombia was being played on a knife's edge as Los Cafeteros piled forward in the hopes of finding a winner in extra time. Moscow's Spartak Stadium was a sea of yellow with the Colombia fans reaching fever pitch in the extra period. It couldn't have been easy for Harry Kane and the rest of the "Three Lions."
Read more: A new England rises
Yet it was the England captain, who bellowed into his own half. He repeatedly hit himself on the chest. It was a clear message to England's backline: "Hold firm, lads. We're not letting this slip." It is these little details that speak to the new spirit in the ranks of England's World Cup squad. A captain, who led by example and never lost his cool. A goalkeeper, who has exceeded all expectations. A team, who recovered from the late equalizer to hold their nerve and do the unthinkable - win a penalty shootout.
England break the shootout curse
"We never panicked. We were ready for that," said Eric Dier, scorer of the winning spot kick that booked England a place in the quarterfinals. "We knew what we had to do and we stayed calm." The Three Lions' first-ever penalty shootout win in the 84-year history of the World Cup exorcised some of the demons past, especially for head coach Gareth Southgate. The 47-year-old missed the decisive spot kick as England got knocked out of EURO 1996 on home soil by Germany. Since taking over as England head coach, Southgate has utilized a sports psychologist and dedicated extra training sessions to penalty taking. The result: One miss out of five, as David Ospina kept Jordan Henderson's effort out.
Rewind two years and England weren't in a position to enjoy successes like this in the knockout stages of a major tournament. They were embarrassed at EURO 2016 when they were eliminated by Iceland in the quarterfinals. Head coach Roy Hodgson and his side were heavily criticized by the English press. After Sam Allardyce's brief tenure in the role, Southgate took the reins. The squad hasn't undergone wholesale changes, but Southgate appears to have found a way to connect with his charges.
"I am really proud with the way we played as a team," the coach said after the game. It's a team that has a hunger to prove themselves. Exciting young players like Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling are all playing with a greater sense of freedom and enjoyment. Even goalkeeper Jordan Pickford - seen as England's weakest link before the tournament began - exuded confidence and calm. His leap shortly before the final whistle to deny Mateus Uribe was the save of tournament. It was just a shame that 24-year-old was powerless to prevent Colombia equalizing from the resulting corner.
Kane chasing Gary Lineker's legacy
Then, of course, there's Kane, who is hot on the heels of England's record goalscorer at the World Cup, Gary Lineker. The Tottenham star has scored 12 goals in eight games as England captain, including the six he's netted in Russia to put him two clear in the race for the Golden Boot. He only needs two more to draw level with Lineker. Scoring from the spot is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Kane's performance at this World Cup. He tracks back, throws himself into challenges and isn't above the grunt work. A captain England fans can get behind.
English football has always boasted talent and individual quality across several positions. The difference this time being that England are capable of edging tight, hard-fought encounters like that against Colombia. They weren't thrown off by the heated atmosphere or Colombia's play-acting. They proved they have cool heads and the victory on penalties is only going to unify them more.
"It's coming home"
Who knows how long this England side can maintain this euphoria. Sweden await them in the quarterfinals and, if they can successfully navigate that game, Croatia or Russia will provide the opposition in the final four. The England fans were outnumbered in the Spartak Stadium, but made themselves heard as they chanted while waiting to exit. The famous: "It's coming home…”
It started off as ironic chitchat among friends and on social media, just like at every tournament England feature at. Right now though, there is a growing realization that this team has the right attitude and spirit to finally bring something home. The new England is in the mood for more.