England Conquer the Ghosts of Shootouts Past in Moscow

Eric Dier was already sprinting towards immortality, moments away from being engulfed by his euphoric teammates. Gareth Southgate, meanwhile, had momentarily forgotten the dislocated shoulder he was meant to be guarding—such was the gravity-defying euphoria in that moment. After decades of trauma, of heartbreak painted in penalty-box blues, England had finally re-scripted the narrative: they had won a World Cup penalty shootout.

It was a finale drenched in tension, soaked in catharsis—the kind of emotional crescendo that tempts even the most measured fan to believe that, perhaps, something rare and extraordinary is unfolding. Restraint? That could wait. England were through to the quarter-finals, and suddenly the road ahead gleamed with previously unimaginable promise.

This was England’s first knockout-stage victory at a World Cup in twelve long years. Their seventh in a major tournament since the nation’s lone triumph in 1966. Awaiting them now: Sweden, with a semi-final against Russia or Croatia dangling in the distance.

Southgate had spoken of his desire for his penalty-takers to “own the process.” They did. Despite Jordan Henderson’s miss—rescued in consequence by Mateus Uribe’s shot cannoning off the crossbar and Jordan Pickford’s electric save from Carlos Bacca—England’s composure under unbearable pressure stood in stunning contrast to the chaos of past failures: Turin 1990, Saint-Etienne 1998, Gelsenkirchen 2006, Wembley 1996, Lisbon 2004, Kiev 2012.

An hour after the final whistle, the stadium still echoed with the songs and roars of England’s fans. They lingered, reluctant to leave a memory they’d waited a generation to make.

Dier joined Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, and Kieran Trippier in demonstrating why England’s hours of meticulous penalty practice were not mere theatre. Kane had earlier buried a regulation-time penalty, earned amidst Colombian disorder, bringing his tournament tally to six goals—three of them from the spot. His nerve, after nearly four minutes of protest and disruption from Colombian players, was unflinching.

Colombia, even without the injured James Rodríguez, represented a far sterner test than the group-stage opponents Tunisia, Panama, or Belgium’s second string. Yet England matched their aggression with poise and, more significantly, resilience. Southgate’s instruction to play with freedom, to exude ownership and courage, was manifest even as open-play chances proved scarce and set-pieces remained their most potent weapon.

In truth, England might have been spared the shootout had justice prevailed in the first half, when Wilmar Barrios launched his head into Jordan Henderson’s chin. A red card seemed inevitable. Instead, the referee’s leniency gave Barrios a reprieve, and Colombia a full complement to continue their campaign of disruption. Southgate, however, had pre-armed his players against provocation—a lesson well-learned in the tempest of their earlier win over Panama.

Colombia’s tactics in the closing stages bordered on desperation—arguments, theatrical injuries, psychological games—but they delivered drama in the 93rd minute. Uribe’s 30-yard thunderbolt drew a stunning, full-stretch save from Pickford, but from the ensuing corner, Yerry Mina rose above Harry Maguire and Trippier to head in an equaliser, his third of the tournament.

And so it was, once again, to penalties. The shadow of past failures loomed large after Colombia’s first three were converted with clinical ease. But England didn’t flinch. They stood, not just physically but mentally. Pickford’s reflexes denied Bacca; Dier, albeit with a shot that flirted with fate, found the net. Ospina crumpled. And England—so often the bridesmaid of the international stage—had finally danced their way to glory, at least for one night.

It was only England’s second shootout triumph in eight attempts at major tournaments. Yet it felt seismic, symbolic—a team exorcising inherited demons under a manager who knows those ghosts by name.

Moscow 2018 is no longer just a venue. It’s a turning point.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar