FIFA 2018: England wins a thriller in penalties; Sweden through to the Semis

There’s a two-day break at FIFA World Cup 2018 after the end of Round of 16 yesterday (July 3). The last two matches saw Sweden face Switzerland and England battle Colombia. 

Sweden edged out Switzerland with a single goal lead that was scored by Emil Fosberg. The 66th-minute goal came as a huge relief for fans after a prolonged stalemate. Sweden’s Marcus Berg could have sped things up as he had some excellent opportunities to score but failed to make any headway. Sweden will now face England on Saturday, July 7, in their Quarter Final tie. On the road to the QF, Sweden’s progress has been as follows: 

Opening match:  Sweden defeat Korea 1-0

Match 2: Germany defeat Sweden 2-1

Match 3: Sweden defeat Mexico 3-0

Match 4: Sweden defeat Switzerland 1-0

The second match of the day saw England clash with Colombia. The skirmish-filled match saw the referee hand out as many as 8 Yellow Cards. Harry Kane gave England the lead, scoring in the beginning minutes of the second half. However, a 90th-minute header by Yerry Mina, his third goal in this tournament, pushed the game into extra time, with both teams tied 1-1. With extra time remaining a goal-less affair, the game moved on to the penalty kick-off stage. 

Here, the English players displayed their superior striking skills with Harry Kane, Kieran Trippier, Marcus Rashford, and Eric Dier scoring goals. For Colombia, Radamel Falcao, Juan Cuadrado, and Luis Muriel converted the penalty shots into goals. The final results: England defeat Colombia 5-4. On the road to the QF, England’s progress has been as follows: 

Opening match:  England defeat Tunisia 2-1

Match 2: England defeat Panama 6-1

Match 3: Belgium defeat England 1-0

Match 4: England defeat Colombia 5-4 in the penalty shootout

Catch the first match of the Semi-Finals between France and Uruguay on Friday, July 6, 2018, at 7.30 pm IST on SonyLIV. The second match of the day is between Brazil and Belgium at 11.30 pm IST. SonyLIV is the official mobile and internet broadcaster for the FIFA World Cup 2018. It is the go-to destination for all football fanatics. 

Check out the Match Centre on SonyLIV, where viewers can see live scores, player positions, team data, match statistics and live commentary. For a more engaging experience, users can set reminders or view the entire schedule, while the points table gives a quick update on the standings, scores, etc. Additionally, SonyLIV has also created a fan-zone on the second screen that users can access on their mobile phones or tablets and experience features like match predictions, emotion meter, polls, and contests, even as they watch the game in real-time. 

Other features include viewing missed games with snippets and clips of key moments from every match along with highlights. To cater to the widest possible range of viewers, SonyLIV will be available in six simultaneous audio feeds - Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and English.