Sharp contrast: England knocked out Sweden, the team responsible for Italy’s absence from this World Cup

England have qualified for the semi-finals of a World Cup for the first time since 1990, after defeating Sweden 2-0.

Sweden went into the game as the clear underdogs but their ability to exceed expectations was made obvious last year, when they knocked out Italy in a pre World Cup qualifier.

Yet there were to be no such surprises here today. Today’s quarter-final started very cagily, but Harry Maguire had England fans off their feet when he scored a thumping header from a corner after half an hour. Raheem Sterling wasted a golden chance to double England’s lead right before half-time, but Dele Alli did just that after 59 minutes, scoring a header from close-range.

England will now face the winner of tonight’s game between World Cup hosts Russia and Croatia, with the winner of that game advancing to the final to face either France or Belgium.

Is football finally coming home?

READ NEXT: 5 Reasons Why Today’s England-Sweden Match Is Malta’s Biggest World Cup Game Yet

Tim Diacono

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]