‘The history boys’, a ‘Miracle in Moscow’, the ‘Hand of Jord’ – how the world’s press reacted to England’s penalty shootout victory over Colombia.
England and their manager Gareth Southgate exorcised their demons from the penalty spot with a first shootout triumph since 1996 to book their place in the World Cup quarter-finals.
Eric Dier slotted the crucial spot-kick after Mateus Uribe struck the bar and Jordan Pickford saved brilliantly from Carlos Bacca to set up a last-eight tie with Sweden.
From the British tabloids to the Colombian press, here’s how the world responded…
‘Hand of Jord’
England goalkeeper Pickford earned rave reviews, with The Sun hailing the “Hand of Jord”, harking back to Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” incident in 1986.
“Just Diernamite!” they added, after Dier ended England’s penalty hoodoo, slotting home the decisive spot-kick.
The paper revelled in Southgate’s side finally ending their “curse”, with their back page proclaiming: “It’s the headline we have waited a lifetime to write… England win on penalties (Yes really!)”.
‘The history boys’, ‘A new England’
The i also hailed Pickford and Dier as part of a “new England” and inside, said: “‘England need not have worried over Colombia’s play-acting. If this was a test of nerve, England won by a distance.”
‘Miracle in Moscow’
The theme continued in the Daily Mirror, who declared: “Finally the wait is over. And with it they banished the ghosts of previous failures.”
‘Yes, we can’
The Guardian gave a nod to Barack Obama with their “Yes, we can” headline, while inside they wrote: “It was a euphoric way to go through and these are the moments when England’s followers can be forgiven for believing something special is building.”
‘The coolest man in Moscow’
A bare-chested, grinning Dier was labelled the “Coolest Man in Moscow” by the Daily Mail, who added with a touch of hyperbole: “The explosion of relief must have been heard in space.”
Gareth Southgate conceded that England have underestimated Sweden in recent years but the Mail shrugged off his warning, declaring: “Sweden are like watching bad old England. There is… Nothing to Fear.”
Going global
England’s shootout out victory sent tremors further afield, with a number of high-profile publications marking the occasion. Rio de Janeiro-based newspaper O Globo had captain Harry Kane as their front-page picture lead.
There was praise from across the channel, too…
‘Ghost hunters’
“The English, often eliminated on penalties in large competitions, have managed this time to ward off bad luck,” wrote France’s L’Equipe
But it was no surprise that the tone of Wednesday’s Colombian newspapers was several notches lower than that of their English counterparts.
‘Ruleta Rusa’
Vanguardia Liberal thank the Colombia squad for their efforts in Russia and accompanied that with the headline of ‘Colombia eliminated by England in Russian roulette’
‘Adios, Rusia’
“Drama was the definition of a match that saw Colombia lose on penalties”, the front page of El Diario read. The Colombian publication also followed in the footsteps of head coach Jose Pekerman, who questioned the referee “due to his controversial decisions”.
‘Until the last breath’
With a picture of the players out on their feet, El Nuevo Siglo saluted Colombia’s never-say-die attitude which saw them take England all the way to penalties before eventually bowing out of the competition.
‘Colombia said goodbye with tears’
Yerry Mina’s third goal of the tournament denied England victory in normal time but, unlike in previous rounds, the Barcelona’s defender’s exploits weren’t enough to see Colombia progress. El Universal summed things up with a picture of the tearful centre-back alongsie the headline: “This time, Yerry Mina’s goal was not enough for Colombia”.
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Sourse: skysports.com
