England edged closer to the dream of bringing football home with a 2-0 victory over Sweden, who struggled to compete with the Three Lions despite calling our very own Jordan Pickford into action with some wonderful saves when needed, in a man of the match performance following his heroics in the quarter-finals.
Pickford got down incredibly well twice to deny shots from Viktor Claesson and Marcus Berg, as well as getting a crucial finger to a Berg header which was heading for the top of the net.
Harry Maguire and Dele Alli scored headers either side of half time, and Blues got a chance to see linked RB Leipzig midfielder Emil Forsberg in action for just over an hour, despite him not being able to affect the game.
Croatia booked their place in the semi-final clash with England after defeating Russia on penalties. Denis Cheryshev put the hosts in front with a fantastic goal after half an hour but Andrej Kramaric equalised not long after, and the game was eventually forced into extra time.
Domagoj Vida, who has been heavily linked with several Premier League clubs including Everton, gave Croatia an advantage but Mario Fernandes pulled the game level to send it to penalties.
After several significant misses from other takers including Fernandes, it fell to Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic to decide the World Cup fate of his nation, and he coolly converted from the spot, sending Croatia through on penalties for the second time in as many games this tournament.
France will meet Belgium on Tuesday, before England challenge Croatia on Wednesday for a place in the final of the World Cup 2018.
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