Southgate's young charges put on show a myriad of positive qualities that allowed them to conquer Colombia
It’s official. England has won a penalty shootout at a major tournament. One can only imagine the fear that must’ve gone through every English fan when after 120 minutes their last 16 tie against the Colombians would be decided on penalties. But fear soon turned to pure ecstasy as Eric Dier calmly slotted the ball past David Ospina to book the Three Lions’ first quarter-final appearance since 2006.
Indeed Dier’s calmness encapsulated what this young England team was all about compared to the much vaunted golden generation of English players in the past.