XtraTime Web Desk: England football team captain Harry Kane said that his team grew up as a team while taking the penalty shootout against Colombia which they won and made it to the quarterfinals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Kane scored England’s only goal against Colombia which ended in a 1-1 draw in the scheduled time.
It was England’s first World Cup shootout victory and only their second in a major tournament, and Tottenham striker Kane says the impact on the young side will be huge.
“We spoke a lot about being an inexperienced, long team, but we grew up a lot on that pitch tonight. It was mixed emotions, highs and lows, even in the penalty shoot-outs. The boys were fantastic.
“Penalty shootouts are a lot about mentality, and obviously we know England haven’t done great in the past, so it was nice to get that one off our back and it’ll give us huge belief going forward.”
The 24-year-old captain says the win will give the side huge belief going forward, and he could not hide his pride in the team.
“It will give us huge belief. There’s still a long way to go, but as a team we are as together as we can be. This will give the team more belief than ever, and the fans back home.
“So proud. So many emotions in that game. I thought we played well, controlled the game, and obviously we were so unlucky to concede last minute.
“We stood up and were tall, we were not going to let it impact us. It shows the togetherness and the character. We spoke a lot about it before, but these are the moments where you really see it. I’m so proud of everyone, the boys and the staff.”
While answering about their win, England head coach said,” It was a fantastic win. We deserved it as well. We played so well in the 90 minutes.
“We showed resilience to come back from huge disappointment and kept calm. It’s huge credit to all our players and staff.
“Shootouts are tough. We had talked long and hard about owning the process of a shootout. They kept calm. The players have taken it all on board. It’s a special moment for us.
“We looked at technique, how we needed to be as a team, the goalkeeper’s role.
“But now I’m thinking about Sweden. They are another team we have a poor record against. We have underestimated them for years.”
Jordan Pickford has put his penalty shootout heroics down to the extensive research and swipes back at Thibaut Courtois who mocked the England goalkeeper’s height when conceded from Adnan Januzaj.
“I did a lot of research on them for starters. Falcao is the only one who didn’t go his way,” Pickford revealed on ITV.
After Pickford let Januzaj’s shot sail above him in England’s 1-0 defeat against Belgium, Courtois said: “The goalkeeper is 10cm smaller than me. I would have caught it. He was too bust throwing his legs in the air.”
However, Pickford hit back at the Chelsea goalkeeper and justified his saving technique. “I just set my way and went with power. I’ve got power and agility I don’t care if I’m not the biggest keeper but I’ve got the power and agility to help us get around the goal and I’m very good at it. It’s about making the save and being in the moment.”