Columbia 1-1 England (England win on penalties AET)

You don't have to be great to win a World Cup. You gotta be smart, sure, but you don't need to win each game five-nil at a canter, playing the most superb football ever seen and leaving teams scratching dust as they chase you all over the pitch. Columbia and England showed signs of this theory earlier tonight.

Columbia started the game in the garage, nevermind which gear, but slowly, surely worked themselves into something of a coherent team performance, enough to snatch a late equaliser and very nearly enough to win the game. Quintero, the man who's sublime Gascoigne-isms in the group games had even forced me into ordering a fucking Columbia shirt was way off key, short of both room and options on the ball, while Falcao spent the first 70 minutes battling 3 defenders on his own.

England by contrast, started brightly but soon faded. Gone were the fluid attacks of the Tunisia game in a first half which eventually saw Harry Kane dropping into the number 5 position to try and ignite attacks. Struggling to break down a Columbia side fielding effectively three defensive midfielders, England looked most threatening from crosses and set-plays, finally taking the lead just after the break through a well-dispatched Kane penalty.

Pekerman decided to hell with caution as time ticked on, throwing on 3 forwards and abandoning the rigid shape that had stopped his team flowing earlier on. Mina headed home just before the final whistle, and both teams then squandered reasonable openings late on to call for a penalty shootout. It was great to see an England side take penalties with bloody-minded intent for once. No awkward grimaces, paddling about the area twitching while waiting for the keeper to ready himself. Each penalty was hammered in, direct, and only a fine save stopped Henderson's from curling in beyond the post. Henderson even started playing fucking kick-ups with the ball while walking up to take his. Boss.

As for Columbia, this side wasn't allowed to showcase its full array of attacking talents in the clearest chance to progress to the semi-finals it has ever seen. Pekerman has form with throwing his best players in a cage on the biggest stage, and this was no different. I watched the final few minutes wondering how much room Quintero might have found and how many passes he may have seen had Bacca and Uribe started alongside Falcao in a forward 3. We could of been treated to something similar to the Poland game, where Columbia flowed and drove as sweet and sure as any team at this tournament, and instead we were left with straight lines, narrow alleys, and players without the space or help to play through them.

One game against Sweden away from a semi-final though. This team has to be the most exciting England side since '96. And they don't even need to be great to win it.