Samara (July 07, 2018): Harry Maguire and Dele Alli scored as England comfortably defeated Sweden 2-0 in Samara on Saturday to reach the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1990.
Leicester defender Maguire headed in the opening goal from a corner on 30 minutes, with Alli adding a second just before the hour.
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford then produced a series of crucial saves in the final half-hour to seal England’s long-awaited spot in the last four.
“It’s a great achievement for the team, we owed it to the fans back home who believed in us,” Alli said.
“It’s always nice to score, especially on occasions like this. It’s an amazing feeling to be going to a semi-final at a World Cup.”
Harry Kane failed to score for the first time in the competition, but the England captain said confidence was high after matching the country’s best run at a major tournament since Euro ’96.
It was just a second England victory over Sweden in nine competitive meetings, and sets up a clash with either hosts Russia or Croatia on Jul 11 in Moscow for a place in the final.
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