FIFA Round of 16 Review: Match Day 4

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FIFA Round of 16 Review: Match Day 4

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(WebDesk) - Football fans were able to quench their thirst yet another thrilling match day kicked off on Tuesday. The matches to decide the last two quarterfinalists took place with Switzerland taking on rivals Sweden and a rejuvenated Colombia outfit locking horns with England.

Day 4 featured another set of close encounters with the result of the match later on in the evening, between Colombia and England, decided on penalties.

Have a look, in detail, as to how the matches eventually turned out, on Tuesday evening.

Switzerland vs Sweden

Both Switzerland and Sweden finished the group stage riding high on confidence. Sweden, however, were coming into the all-important tussle after having topped the group that featured the likes of Germany and Mexico. Switzerland, on the other hand, remained unbeaten after having drawn with Brazil and Costa Rica while winning against Serbia.

Given the nature of the two teams and their impressive past performances, fans and pundits alike expected a very close match and as they soon found out, that is exactly what they got.

Sweden were the better of the two teams in the opening forty five minutes and got off to a bright start when veteran Swiss goalkeeper, Yann Sommer, gifted a chance to midfielder Albin Ekdal, who shot his aggressive volley over the top. The Swedish kept on piling men forward and almost got their reward a few minutes later if it hadn’t been for a brilliant save from goalkeeper, Yann Sommer. Opportunities kept on piling for the Swedish but Switzerland did just enough to see themselves goalless through the first half.

Yann Sommer produced a couple of very good saves to keep the score at 0-0. Photo: FIFA

Sweden were eventually able to break the deadlock in the 66th minute via a deflected effort from Emil Forsberg that eventually ended in the back of the net. Forsberg was again involved a few minutes later but this time in Sweden’s own half as he prevented a header from crossing the line via a Xherdan Shaqiri corner.

Forsberg’s deflected effort gave his side the lead in the 66th minute. Photo: FIFA

Emil Forsberg’s strike midway through the second half was to be the only goal scored in the match as Sweden made their way to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1994.

Star Player

Emil Forsberg

Being able to break through a sturdy Swiss defence line and moving forward with pace to eventually score the only goal of the match, midfielder Emil Forsberg starred for his national team and played a pivotal role in their qualification to the quarterfinal stage; a feat Sweden achieved for the first time in 24 years.

Not only was the 26-year-old involved up front, he also managed to save his side from conceding later on in the second half when he prevented a header from crossing the goal line.

Colombia vs England

When the round of 16 matches were decided, the encounter between Colombia and England was termed as close and exciting. This happened mainly because of their past performance in the group stage. Colombia came into the last 16 on the back of sheer luck when they progressed courtesy better goal difference than their opponents. England, on the other hand, fared better with two wins out of three but the wins coming against fairly easy opposition had the pundits asking whether England were ready for the knockout rounds or not.

The first half was fast-paced as both teams looked to open the deadlock on counter attacks. A few missed chances, blocked shots and disappointing efforts meant that the two teams went into the second half goalless.

Constant pressure from England eventually bore fruit as Harry Kane forced himself in the arms of Colombia’s Carlos Sanchez; an act that eventually resulted in a penalty for England. Captain and golden boy, Harry Kane, stepped onto the spot himself to give his side the lead and extend his goal tally to six for the tournament so far. In the hopes of equalizing, Colombia kept on pressing but could not break through the English defence. Havoc in the last minutes of the game however, eventually turned out to be extremely beneficial for Colombia as Mina’s header off a Juan Cuadrado corner ended in the back of the net. The goal left the English players in utter disbelief while Colombia celebrated in joy.

Kane took his goal tally for the tournament to six after he slotted a penalty. Photo: FIFA

Mina’s last minute heroics had the Colombians dancing in joy. Photo: Evening Standard

The goal so late on meant that extra time was required to decide the fate of the two teams but when that, too, saw no goals being scored, players had to step up to the spot to take penalties in the deciding shootout.

Penalty kicks from Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford were coolly put in the net but former captain Jordan Henderson was denied courtesy a brilliant save from David Ospina. The save meant that Colombia now had the upper hand. Colombia’s Mateus Uribe, however, couldn’t make most of the opportunity at hand as his penalty struck the crossbar. Keiran Trippier next slotted home before a magnificent save from England’s goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, off Carlos Bacca, meant that England needed only one more strike to book a place in the quarterfinals. Midfielder Eric Dier stepped up to the occasion and put one past Ospina to send his team in the last eight of the World Cup.

A brilliant stop from Pickford gave England the chance to put the game to death. Photo: Firenews

Eric Dier’s penalty put England through to the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Photo: USA Today

Star Player

Jordan Pickford

In a close match that featured some great moments, Jordan Pickford stood out as the star player. Not only because he produced one of the saves of the tournament, when he denied Mateus Uribe from long range in the 90th minute of the match, but his penalty shootout heroics meant that the 24-year-old helped his side into the last eight of the tournament.

By: Raacikh Asghar