Tottenham star Eric Dier revealed that he had to score the game-winning penalty for England against Colombia after not scoring for the Three Lions prior to the shoot-out.
The midfielder sent a free header wide which could have put the England side 2-0 up and possibly would not have led to extra-time and penalties.
The Tottenham man was quoted by the Mirror as saying:
“It was a nervous one.
“I’ve never really been in a situation like that before but felt I had to score after missing the header at the end, so I’m just thankful I scored.”
Dier’s miss saw Colombia end up scoring a late-late goal via Yerry Mina and extra-time could not separate the two sides either.
Jordan Henderson missed a spot-kick for the Three Lions but Jordan Pickford came up big to save Carlos Bacca’s shot.
Dier also praised the Everton keeper for all that he did:
“Jordan is a fantastic keeper and deserves everything.
“His attitude is brilliant, he’s been brilliant in training and took that into the game.”
Harry Kane was another penalty taker from Tottenham who converted his chance, alongside Kieran Trippier, making it three from three for our side in the shoot-out.
Dier certainly had the maximum pressure since he would be going on last but it proves just how much work has been done not only by Gareth Southgate but also Mauricio Pochettino in making our players immune to pressure.
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England certainly will go into their quarterfinal clash against Sweden buoyed by their first win in a knockout game in 12 years. There will now be added belief in the fans as the Three Lions look to win their first World Cup since 1966.
