England certainly did not play their best game of the World Cup. Nonetheless, they broke trough the Swedish organized defense. After winning 2-0, they are now into the semifinals.
First Half
The opening minutes of the match had a strange pace to them. The match started off very slow, it almost looked like a training match during the first fifteenth minutes. The following minutes of the match weren’t much different either. The game got stuck at midfield. Both England and Sweden used long balls but were unable to retain the ball.
Sweden mostly defended during the half, they had occasional runs up the field but they were stopped in time by England. The Queen’s XI started playing wide as the 25th minute arrived. Their speed helped them to get deep into Sweden’s defensive zone but they had no finish to their chances. Not only that, but they had a hard time getting through the Swedish defensive line. Nonetheless, it all changed as the thirty minute mark arrived.
Harry Maguire elevated himself inside the box to head the ball into the back of the net.
The Three Lions broke through at the 30th minute. They were up by one.
Sweden showed some problems on defense from that point on. The Englishmen speed caught the Viking off guard and created some dangerous scoring opportunities. Once again, England couldn’t convert.
Halftime arrived and England was up. The scoreboard read 1-0
Second Half
Sweden had an interesting opening five minutes to their second half. They were quick and very active offensively. It seemed as if they were ready to tie the score. That lasted long, however as they were back on defense shortly after. All that England needed wa a header, and the ygot it.
Dele Alli sent another header into the back of the net at the 58th minute
England was up by two at the hour mark.
The English squad took control of the ball and dictated the pace of play. The match moved along and Sweden generated occasional scoring chances. They had no luck as they were either stopped by a quick defense or denied by Everton’s Jordan Pickford.
England certainly let their foot off the gas as the later stages of second half arrived. They did not generate much offense but they played solid defense.
England defeated Sweden 2-0 at the end of regulation time.
This is the third time an England has qualified to the World Cup semifinals