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England progressed to the semi-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup courtesy of their comfortable 2-0 win over Sweden in the quarter-final clash at the Samara Arena. Gareth Southgate's men dominated possession on the night and were rightfully rewarded in the 30th minute when Harry Maguire leapt highest to find the back of the net with his head after a sublime delivery into the area from Ashley Young following an England corner.
The Three Lions ended the first half as the stronger side and they never looked like giving up on their lead. Dele Alli, who returned to the starting line-up after recovering from a thigh strain, doubled England's lead in the 58th minute by getting on the end of an inch-perfect cross from Jesse Lingard to find the back of the net with a composed header.
Sweden tried to salvage something from the game shortly thereafter but they were denied mercilessly by the heroics of Jordan Pickford in goal for England. The result now means that England will face either hosts Russia or favourites Croatia in the semi-final of the competition while the dream run is finally over for Sweden, who had exceeded all expectations in their journey so far.
Without further delay, let's take a closer look at the best and worst performers from this knockout clash at the Samara Arena in southern Russia:
#5 Hit - Harry Maguire (England)
The English centre-half has been one of the best performers for his side over the course of this tournament and he duly repaid the faith shown in him by manager Gareth Southgate when he put in a resounding performance at the back for the Three Lions. Maguire was his usual self of being unbeatable in the air and was comfortable on the ball, retaining his reputation as England's best ball-playing centre-back at the moment.
The Leicester City defender also proved to be a serious threat from set-pieces and did well to claim his first ever goal for the national team after he leaped into the air to find the back of the net following a set-piece, a routine that has paid off handsomely for England in this tournament.
#4 Flop - Emil Forsberg (Sweden)
Almost all of Sweden's hopes of causing an upset over England in the quarter-finals rested on Emil Forsberg's shoulders and the winger struggled to be at his influential best on the night. The 26-year-old scored the only goal that helped Sweden pip Switzerland in the round of 16 tie prior to this encounter and was quite easily his team's best hope while going forward, considering the fact that strikers Marcus Berg and Ola Toivonen had disappointed as a whole in this campaign.
However, things did not go according to plan for the RB Leipzig man who failed to hit the ground running at the Samara Arena and his authority on the game was severely limited, to say the least. A lot of credit has to be given to Kieran Trippier for forcing Forsberg on his back foot but Sweden's talisman was uninspiring at large, even with the ball at his feet.
#3 Hit - Jordan Henderson (England)
Jordan Henderson put forward a sublime shift in midfield for England against Sweden and he caught the eye with his decisive passing and tenacious nature in the middle of the park for the Three Lions. The Liverpool skipper's performances have slightly gone under the radar over the course of this tournament and perhaps even today, many people wouldn't have noticed the amount of ground he covered in a bid to stamp his authority on the game.
The midfielder conjured a stunning lob pass over the Sweden defenders to put Raheem Sterling through on goal towards the end of the first half but the Manchester City winger failed to make something out of that golden opportunity put on a plate by Henderson's sheer brilliance.
Henderson successfully recycled possession on numerous occasions for England and his commanding presence in midfield surely bodes well for the future of his team.
#2 Flop - Ola Toivonen (Sweden)
The 32-year-old striker, who currently represents Toulouse in Ligue 1, was a passenger on the field for the majority of the game and struggled to find any sort of rhythm in front of goal for Sweden. Toivonen failed to complement his teammates on the field and was left out as an isolated figure for prolonged periods despite starting alongside Marcus Berg as the centre-forward pairing.
Toivonen failed to register a single attempt on target and caused no threat whatsoever to the English defenders who were largely untroubled by his antics on the night. He was replaced in the 65th minute by John Guidetti, to cap off a disappointing performance for Sweden's target man.
#1 Hit - Jordan Pickford (England)
Jordan Pickford was on the top of his game against Sweden on the night and made a number of crucial saves en route to his first ever World Cup clean-sheet. The Everton shot-stopper was a commanding presence between the sticks for England throughout the game and the decibel levels around their penalty area was relatively higher, owing to his verbal instructions.
Pickord made three crucial saves to deny Sweden any sort of redemption and the best of the lot came when he kept out Marcus Berg's downward header from close range with a stunning save shortly after the restart to preserve England's 1-0 lead at that time. The 24-year-old also denied Viktor Claesson just after the hour mark after he had combined effectively with Berg to conjure an attempt on goal.
The performances from Pickford have surely been resounding to say the least and without the shadow of a debut, he is slowly but steadily becoming England's best line of defence at this tournament.
Who do you think was the best player in the game? Tell us in the comments below!
