World Cup - Matchday 19

Welcome to another WhoReps look at the 2018 World Cup. Today we'll be recapping Tuesday's action and looking ahead to the quarterfinals! Enjoy.
                                            
We've seen this movie a thousand times before. England, in a penalty shootout, at a major international tournament. They've all ended the same. 1990 against West Germany: Loss. 1996 against Germany: Loss. 1998 against Argentina: Loss. 2004 vs Portugal: Loss. 2006 vs Portugal again: Loss. 2012 vs Italy: Loss. There is no more sure thing in international football than England losing in a penalty shootout. But a funny thing happened today, once the English were still knotted 1-1 with Colombia after the full 120 minutes. England... won? 
 
Eric Dier stepped to the penalty spot, the fifth and potentially final taker. Just 12 yards separated him and a lifetime of free drinks at any British pub. He gathered himself, took three steps, and calmly struck a right-footed shot just barely past diving Colombian keeper David Ospina, into the back of the net. For the first time in history, the English have won a penalty shootout at the World Cup. Some curses are made to be broken. But the true hero of this moment was young English keeper Jordan Pickford, who stopped multiple Colombian penalties to ensure his place in English football lore. Pickford only had three career international caps for England prior to this World Cup, and he became the first Englishman to even save a single shootout penalty in 20 years. The youth will set you free.

Its a truly heartbreaking moment for a Colombian side that struggled to generate offense all day, playing without injured star James Rodriguez. They miraculously tied the game at the eleventh hour, when centre-back Yerry Mina picked up his third goal of this tournament after their first corner kick of the entire match. Now that's efficiency. But in penalties, all James could do was watch as much less adept goal-scorers in Mateus Uribe and Carlos Bacca found nothing but glove — or in Uribe's case — post. Legacies are created in these tournaments. Nearly every team goes home unhappy. But a calf injury that prevents you from even getting the chance for another full four years? Devastating. 
 
In Saint Petersburg, Sweden and Switzerland also battled it out for the right to be included in the final eight. In a haggard match frankly lacking in some quality on the offensive side, the Swedes emerged victorious 1-0, thanks to an Emil Forsberg shot that was deflected in by Swiss defender Manuel Akanji. Truly unforunate for the Swiss, as keeper Yann Sommer seemed to have it dead to rights. And in this one that was all it took. Sound Swedish defense kept the Swiss from ever putting a sustained challenge on goal, and keeper Robin Olson was hardly involved in the action for long stretches in the second half. 
 
Sweden moves on to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 1994, and they have now already gone farther in this tournament than they ever did with megastar Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Perhaps he's regretting his self-imposed exile from the national team now... althought its not as if he'd ever admit it.

The quarterfinals are set! Today's results mean an England - Sweden matchup in the final eight. The winner of that takes on with the winner of Croatia & Russia, to see who reaches the final. On the other side of the bracket, France and Uruguay face off in Nizhny Novgorod, while favorites Brazil meets Belgium in a star-studded affair in Kazan. Stay tuned to WhoReps' as we recap it all!