Both teams would have deserved to make it into the next round ... but there can be only one.

Colombia vs. England today!! Who will come out on top?

I hope Colombia stays in the tournament, England can go home if it was up to me.

England goes on. 4-3 on shoot out.

Wow. What a fricking game!!!

Harry freaking Kane. That is all.

Ahum, Kane was nowhere in that game, England was nowhere in that game, same as Colombia, none of the 2 teams deserved to go to next round, but hey, there had to be 1 winner, and so it was by lottery

Don't think they'd be where they are without him. But I could be wrong.

Those Columbians play a real dirty game. They got what they deserved.

Congrats to England and Sweden, both are through deservedly. Not the best matches today in my view. The Colombia-England match was two teams giving the ball away for 120 minutes, though the shootout was great. England's record in major-tournament penalties is well known, so it must be quite satisfying to have come through it. Southgate though found time to claim that 'Today will give belief for generations'. Is that how it works Gareth? So your miss in '96 took belief for generations? Haha. Well, it's super he thinks so. Time will tell.

I know Sterling had a great season at his club, but he has no impact on the national team for whatever reason. I think he gave the ball away the first 15 times he touched it today.

The England-Colombia match today was the poster child for what is worst about the modern game (aside from clubs paying player agent fees, which for some reason drives me mad). Football is fantastic, I'm a big fan obviously. But the petulance, simulation and general thuggery were on full display.

I only saw that from one side my friend....

.....but yes it was a game of losing the ball I agree. Macguire impressed me throughout the game though.

I think England will take Sweden but go out on the next game.

Definitely don't think it was a great game. Columbia barely even attempted to play football for 75 minutes, which for the supposedly better team is quite pathetic.

Thought England played pretty well on the whole, particularly looking more comfortable in possession than the opposition for the most part, which seemed very unusual. Deserve a lot of credit for - other than the occasional incident - not rising to the Columbian bait. To come through it with no one suspended for the quarter final is creditable. Similar circumstances were the undoing of Beckham and Rooney in previous knockout games.

Still have reservations about England's failure to create chances from open play. Kane might currently be walking away with the golden boot, but half his goals have been penalties, one bounced off his heel and the other two came courtesy of opportunistic rebounds from corners. That leaves only *one* goal genuinely creative goal England have scored, Lingard's in the rout of Panama.

The expectation will now be for England to beat Sweden, although I'm not sure exactly what justifies that.

That is what I don't like about soccer, the PK is not taken by the fouled player.

Talking of the PK,did you see what the Columbians were doing while they argued with the ref over that 1st penalty? At least 2 of them had tried to cut up the penalty spot with their boots. Is this what the 'beautiful game' has come to?

As you put thuggery in bold I agree. England admirably kept their heads and didn't fall in to the trap.

However, fall they did Harry Maguire has been studying at the Dele Alli school of dance, though his technique needs work. His twinkle-toed flop in the box was embarrassing. It's rampant throughout football, and I'm not singling out England, but they are far from immune to it.

So far this tournament has been great I think. Competitive games for the most part. Comebacks, goals (every team in the tournament scored I believe), controversy, tons of penalties, giant-killings. Good stuff. But I wonder what a 48-team World Cup will look like. Can it absorb that dilution and not be worse for it? We shall see.

And last thing..... Low will keep on as German coach. What do Germans think of this? What is the general reaction at home?

Good post Brun, agree with all of it.

Not happy about Löw's attitude that the failure in the first round was anyone's failure but his.
Not entirely unhappy that he stays because usually firing the coach is pointless scapegoatery..

I read somewhere that Low had recently signed a new contract with the team soon before the start of the WC. If the team owners wanted to dump him they would have to buy out his contract. I’m sure that was a major factor behind Low staying.

WHY the DFB did that rather than waiting for results first still baffles many, however.

I asked the same question at another forum and one German said that he sees a marked indifference to the entire thing in Germany, which is surprising. Low should have fallen on his sword, and I think is largely responsible for Germany's performance in this tournament. But the DFB has been just as bad. It seems to me that in any other nation the coach would have been fired. If this World Cup wasn't down to Low, then what does the DFB attribute it to? Crap players? Come on. Back luck? Referee bias? Food poisoning? Stalin?

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Big games tomorrow, and something has to give in the Brazil-Belgium match. Two favorites and tough to pick. I've been on the Belgium bandwagon so pulling for them. Plus, the footballing gods must surely send Brazil home since they have a player who thinks this is the proper way to behave on the pitch