England manager Gareth Southgate praised his side's resilience after they beat Colombia on penalties to reach the quarter-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday, and described the triumph as "a really special moment for our country."
Jordan Pickford made a fantastic save and Eric Dier netted the winning spot-kick as England won a shootout at a World Cup for the first time, and their first at any major tournament since Euro 1996—they had lost five in the interim.
Southgate, who missed a crucial penalty against Germany in the semi-final of Euro 1996, praised his players' response to seeing their 1-0 lead snatched away in the dying moment as Yerry Mina's towering header forced extra time, per ESPN FC:
"We have fantastic supporters who have had to stand with us through decades of disappointment and this was a really special moment for our country.