England manager Gareth Southgate has praised his players for not retaliating to Colombia’s tactics of provocation during their round-of-16 victory in the World Cup.
Southgate, 47, watched on as his side were engaged in a heated exchange at the Otkrytiye Arena as tempers threatened to spill over, after a number of confrontational incidents occurred on the pitch – notably Wilmar Barrios’ apparent headbutt on Jordan Henderson.
Jose Pekerman’s side looked to get under the skin of the England players in an attempt to frustrate their European counterparts, but Southgate has since lauded the mentality and conduct of his players in rising above the provocation.
At times the match was teetering on the brink of descending into a free-for-all as referee Mark Geiger struggled to contain numerous cases of conflict, but England ultimately prevailed on the night, winning 4-3 on penalties after the match finished 1-1.
Asked if Colombia were more provacative than had been expected, Southgate told ITV: “Well, I don’t know if we didn’t expect it, but we didn’t rise to it, which was brilliant, in general.
“A couple of time we lost our cool a little bit, but generally speaking we kept our nerve. Our fans who were here were brilliant, but it was almost an away game. To deal with all of that was exceptional.
England have won a World Cup penalty shootout for the first time in their history.
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“It’s something they can always look back on. It’s an experience they can draw on.”
England will now prepare to face Scandinavian side Sweden in the quarter-final of the World Cup, with a place in the semi-final against either Croatia or hosts Russia on the table for Saturday’s victor at the Samara Arena.
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