Saturday’s 2018 FIFA World Cup action features two games: England vs. Sweden and Croatia vs. Russia. Check below for game reports, highlights and other key facts from the World Cup 2018 Day quarterfinals.
4:50 p.m. ET: Croatia 2, Russia 2 (Croatia wins 4-3 on penalties):
Russia’s Cinderella march through the 2018 FIFA World Cup has come to a close.
The home nation, and lowest-ranked team in the entire tournament, nearly pulled off the improbable Saturday afternoon, but it ultimately was not meant to be as Croatia earned the victory via penalty kicks.
Despite Croatia being the odds-on favorite, the game was evenly matched throughout. There also was no shortage of drama, as each club found the back of the net in extra time.
Here are the highlights:
Russia grabbed the momentum early on, as Denis Cheryshev ripped home the game’s opening goal on a brilliant strike in the 31st minute.
But Croatia didn’t waste much time finding an answer. After finding space in front of the goalmouth, Andrej Kramaric headed home Vatreni’s first tally of the match.
Regulation time wasn’t enough to settle this one, and just over halfway through the first half of extra time, Domagoj Vida headed the go-ahead goal that many believed would prove to be the game-winner.
Russia wasn’t going to go down without a fight, though. With just over five minutes left in extra time, Mario Fernandes notched the game-tying goal off a set piece to stun Croatia and send the game to penalties.
Both goalies turned in a big save in penalties, but a Fernandes clear miss of the net allowed Ivan Rakitic to finish off Russia.
Man of the Match: Croatia’s captain rose the occasion, as Luka Modric helped dictate pace throughout the match.
Up Next: Croatia will battle England in the semifinals on Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET.
11:50 a.m. ET: England 2, Sweden 0 (Final):
The Three Lions roared convincingly Saturday in Russia.
England advanced to the semifinals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup with a convincing win over Sweden. Typically stout defensively, Sweden faced consistent pressure throughout the match, although England only had two shots on goal.
With the win, the Three Lions advanced to the final four for the first time since 1994.
Harry Maguire’s opened the scoring in the first half.
England fans, as you might expect, went nuts.
Sweden’s best scoring chance came in the 47th minute, but Three Lions goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made this outstanding save:
Early in the second half, Dele Alli all but sealed England’s victory with this goal:
Cue the disappointment in Sweden.
Here’s England vs. Sweden by the numbers:
Man of the Match: Pickford, who saved England on multiple occasions.
Up Next: England will square off against Croatia on Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET.
