Can Colombia cage the Three Lions?
For all the talk about England’s progress under Gareth Southgate, his youthful side have yet to be truly examined in this World Cup but today’s last 16 opponents Colombia will certainly ask the right questions.
With or without their talented number 10 James Rodriguez, the South American possess plenty of talent and their run to the quarter-finals in Brazil four years ago showed they are capable of something England haven’t managed in 12 years — winning in the knockout stage.
England qualified from Group G thanks to wins over Tunisia and Panama and with their place booked they fielded a second-string side in their 1-0 defeat to a similarly weakened Belgium in a strange final group game that neither side showed much desire to win.
The ‘prize’ for finishing second in the group, was to be in the easier half of the draw but all the talk of a ‘path’ to the final risks under-estimating the difficulty of their immediate obstacle.
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