St Petersburg: Gareth Southgate has hailed the penalty shoot-out victory over Colombia as a “huge moment” in the history of English football which will have significant consequences for future generations of players.
The England manager revealed that he had sat his squad down before the last-16 tie in Moscow and reminded them that many had come through the lower leagues to earn the chance to play on this, the highest stage.
“We play with character and I love that about them,” Southgate said, promising it was just the start of something for a young squad “who are only going to get better”.
Although England are only in the World Cup quarter-finals, where they will face Sweden in the heat of Samara on Saturday afternoon, the importance of finally winning a shoot-out at a major tournament for the first time since Euro 96 cannot be underestimated, not least because of the psychological burden that has hopefully, finally, been lifted and the impact it has had on a nation desperate for success. Or at least a different story.
England had lost six of their past seven shoot-outs — at the World Cup in 1990, 1998 and 2006 and the European Championship in 1996, 2004 and 2012 — and not even won a knock-out tie since 2006. The weight of that underperformance had to be dealt with at some point, while England also, against Colombia, had to recover from the blow of conceding an injury-time equalising goal which took the tie to 1-1, extra time and penalties.
There may well be a price to pay in terms of injuries, with concerns over Jamie Vardy (groin), Dele Alli (thigh) and Ashley Young (ankle) in particular, but Southgate was not underestimating how much beating Colombia meant.
“It’s an important moment for everybody in our country, really. You know you are standing there and if we don’t get through from a game we played so well in, you know you will continue the history and mindset for teams to come,” Southgate said. “So, it’s a huge moment for these players, but also the generations to come as well.”
He added that the intelligent football England played was important in what also felt like a home game for Colombia, given the vast number of their fans inside the Spartak Stadium.
“They are still a young group of players ... so it was really significant, because we can’t just be a team that goes out and plays,” Southgate said, referring to the roughhouse nature of the tie which Mark Geiger, the American referee, struggled to control. “You have to be savvy enough and tactically aware and ready to manage games. That’s what makes the difference in big matches.
“But, also, they have a humility about them. I talked to them [on the day of the game] about where they all started and the different clubs. We are based on working hard for each other, we don’t carry anybody, they all pressed, they all have good organisation and they are prepared to graft and dig in for each other. Those are slightly old-fashioned qualities but we don’t have the right to just stroll around a pitch.”
That band-of-brothers approach has helped reconnect previously disillusioned England fans with the team. To help achieve that, Southgate and the Football Association were desperate to get through at least one knockout tie at this World Cup but, now, are acutely aware that the tournament has opened up, with either England, Sweden, Croatia or Russia making it to the final.
At the same time, they cannot assume anything. “I think that was the concern, looking too far ahead,” Southgate said of the Colombia game. “I think we are allowed to enjoy it [beating Colombia] and we must. But then we are very much one game at a time. We know the size of the task. Every other team in our half of the draw will be thinking exactly the same as us. So, we go again tomorrow.
“I think in terms of what they [his squad] are capable of over the next few years, they are going to get better. In this tournament, we now have to assess all the injuries and see where we are. For sure, going to extra time, I’m pleased we did what we did in the Belgium game [resting eight players in the final group game] even more because I think it’s an accumulation of fatigue making things more difficult.
“But now we have a chance to reassess and it will be a tough game, for sure. Because Sweden are often underestimated and I have real respect for Sweden. They are always more than the sum of their parts. Our historic record against them is another one we have to put right. But I think we have always viewed them at our level and I don’t think that’s right because their tournament record is better than ours.”
England have won only one of their past eight competitive games against Sweden, in fact, a 3-2 victory at Euro 2012. Their previous two meetings at World Cups — in group matches in 2002 and 2006 — ended in draws, which has been the most common result against them. It is another record that Southgate and England want to put right, although the history raises again the possibility of yet another shoot-out.
