World Cup: Gareth Southgate praises England for winning ‘street fight’ against Colombia
Three Lions kept their composure against some rough tactics
Gareth Southgate has praised his young side for keeping their composure in the face of Colombia’s street fighting approach in Moscow.
England advanced to a quarter-final showdown with Sweden on Saturday (3pm) following an agonising penalty shoot-out, but the biggest talking point of normal time was the South American side’s strategy.
Six members of their team were shown yellow cards, and Wilmar Barrios was lucky not to see red in the first-half for a blatant headbutt on Jordan Henderson. Colombia also questioned the referee’s decisions, and got particularly heated when he awarded England a penalty following Carlos Sanchez’s foul on Harry Kane.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The England captain was fouled nine times in total, the most by a Three Lions player since Alan Shearer was targeted 11 times by the Tunisians in 1998.
“We didn’t rise to it in general, which was brilliant,” said Southgate. “We kept our composure in a really difficult environment. There were many, many fouls in the game and I do not think we committed anywhere near the number they did.”
There were moments in the match when referee Mark Geiger “appeared to lose complete control on proceedings”, says The Independent.
Even the South Americans’ back-room staff got involved, with one of their coaches, Eduardo Julio Urtasun, appearing to elbow Raheem Sterling as the England forward jogged towards the changing room at half-time.
Asked about his side’s physicality, Colombia’s Argentine manager Jose Pekerman said England were also to blame for the ugly scenes.
“We should not only look to Colombia but also England’s players,” he said. “In the next match England will be more careful. Today we were on the receiving end of this. It’s been so obvious, too obvious.”
What the pundits said about Colombia
Henry Winter in The Times: “For such a talented team, and a country who have given so much to the game, Colombia were frankly, frequently embarrassing.”
Former England defender Martin Keown, writing in the Daily Mail: “Not since England faced Argentina in the infamous 1966 quarter-final, which saw Antonio Rattin sent off, have we seen such disgraceful tactics. Yet in such a high-pressured situation, England’s trump card is Kane. As all around him were losing their heads, Kane kept his own.”
Former England winger Chris Waddle speaking to the BBC: “I hope Colombia get a hefty fine with whatever happens in this game. I feel sorry for the referee, who should have been waving red cards instead of yellow ones.”
Daily Mirror: “The dark arts embodied by Jose Pekerman’s side cast a shadow over this World Cup last-16 tie, with six Colombia players earning bookings from US ref Mark Geiger. The Colombia bench took every opportunity to exert pressure on the ref, and were warned throughout by the fourth official for encroaching and trying to influence decisions.”
Gareth Southgate on the casualties: “It’s like a scene from M*A*S*H in that dressing room.”
Gary Neville on Urtasun’s elbow: “That coach is a numpty for doing that to Raheem Sterling.”
Ex-referee Mark Clattenburg on Barrios’s headbutt: “The defender has put his head into Henderson’s chest, which is a yellow card. But then he lifts his head up, which to me is violent conduct. Instead of the referee being given his opinion by the [VAR] boys in Moscow, I’d rather see the ref go and make the correct right decision, which was a red card.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Hugh Corcoran and The Yellow Bittern: is the customer really always right?
Talking Point A new London restaurant has caused controversy by complaining about customer eating habits
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
When is an offensive social media post a crime?
The Explainer UK legal system walks a 'difficult tightrope' between defending free speech and prosecuting hate speech
By The Week UK Published
-
Women are getting their own baseball league again
In the Spotlight The league is on track to debut in 2026
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The wit and wisdom of Sven-Göran Eriksson
In Depth The first foreign coach to manage England on football, life and death
By The Week Staff Published
-
Gareth Southgate's England: a bittersweet swan song
In Depth History books will favour football manager who transformed culture of football in England
By The Week UK Published
-
Can England's Euros team hold their nerve?
Today's Big Question Three Lions' 'lopsided' opening win over Serbia raises more questions than it answers
By The Week UK Published
-
The England kit: a furore over the flag
Why everyone's talking about Nike's redesign of the St George's Cross on the collar of the English national team's shirt has caused controversy
By The Week UK Published
-
Lionesses will have regrets but their legacy can be ‘incredible’
feature England stars return home after heartbreaking Women’s World Cup final loss to Spain
By Mike Starling Published
-
How English women’s football could become a billion pound industry
feature Building on the success of the Lionesses won’t be easy but it is eminently possible
By The Week Staff Published
-
Lionesses dig deep after Lauren James’s ‘Beckham-esque’ red card
feature England reach the Women’s World Cup quarter-finals after a 4-2 win on penalties against Nigeria
By Mike Starling Published
-
Curse of the Lionesses: what’s causing spate of England women’s football injuries?
Under the Radar Several key players are out of the World Cup, raising concerns about hectic schedules, sub-par pitches and sexism
By Harriet Marsden Published