Winning a dramatic penalty shootout, England won a ticket to the quarter-finals of the 2018 World Cup

Eric Dier beat David Ospina in the final penalty shootout. Photo:FIFA

The joy of the English players after the penalty shootout. Photo:FIFA

Eric Dier made English football history when he successfully scored the final penalty to send the "Three Lions" into the quarter-finals. This was the first time the English tasted victory in a World Cup penalty shootout, after three painful defeats against West Germany (semi-finals 1990), Argentina (round of 16 1998) and Portugal (quarter-finals 2006).

Earlier, England had a chance to end the match early thanks to a goal from Harry Kane. The England captain won a penalty and converted it successfully early in the second half. In a solid defense, Southgate's team unexpectedly conceded a goal in stoppage time. Center-back Yerry Mina jumped high to head Colombia back into the game.

In the extra time, both teams had their chances, with Colombia looking confident going into the shootout while history was not on England's side. That seemed to be the case again as Jordan Henderson's shot missed, handing the deciding penalty to Colombia. However, Mateus Uribe's strike hit the crossbar and Pickford's brilliant save from Carlos Bacca ended England's long streak of bad luck in the shootout.

This victory puts England into the quarter-finals against Sweden on July 7. The foggy country team has reached this round for the first time in 12 years and can go further as the opponents in the group are not too superior.

Harry Kane proved his captaincy qualities with his sixth goal of the 2018 World Cup and his successful penalty shootout. Photo:FIFA

Colombia received bad news right before the match when their biggest star, James Rodriguez, was absent due to injury. Without a player of Rodriguez's caliber to counterbalance, the South American representative played poorly for most of the first half. England had more possession and created dangerous chances with Harry Kane's header going over the bar. This was also the most notable situation in the first half when both teams focused on safety.

In a tense match, the turning point came unexpectedly when Harry Kane fell in the 16m50 area. The referee determined that Carlos Sanchez had pulled the England captain and pointed to the penalty spot. This was the second time in this year's tournament that Sanchez had made things difficult for Colombia, as he had received a red card and created a penalty in the opening match against Japan.

Harry Kane made no mistake in scoring his sixth goal of the 2018 World Cup, half of which came from the penalty spot. Southgate had his players play defensively after taking the lead and waited for a counter-attack. England's slump allowed Colombia to attack, but they failed to make the breakthrough they needed.

Yerry Mina's goal brings hope to Colombia. Photo:FIFA

Colombia's deadlock changed in the final seconds. Mateus Uribe volleyed a 35-yard strike that Jordan Pickford had to scramble to block for the first time in the game. In the ensuing corner, the England keeper had to pick the ball out of the net after a Yerry Mina header hit the ground. It was the centre-back's third goal of the 2018 World Cup, all from headers, a feat he had not achieved since Miroslav Klose 16 years ago.

The goal from the Barca centre-back gave the South American team hope of a comeback. With their spirits high, Colombia came back to dominate England in the first half of extra time, but neither team's strikers could overcome a focused defence. Falcao's two headers showed that the World Cup could be the last of the 32-year-old's career.

England qualified for the next round but their attacking system has fans worried. Harry Kane looked isolated and often had to drop deep to receive the ball because he did not receive the necessary support from his satellites Dele Alli, Sterling and Jesse Lingard. The appearance of the duo Marcus Rashford and Jamie Vardy from the bench brought much more speed and elegance. This could be a viable option for England in the upcoming matches.