It’s coming home,” was Alan Shearer’s verdict after seeing England beat Sweden 2-0 to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup for the first time since 1990.
Over on Radio 5 live, Chris Waddle – one of the heroes of that campaign – broke down in tears, saying: “It’s unbelievable. I couldn’t believe I would witness this. It’s quite emotional actually.
England will play Croatia in the last four after seeing off the Scandinavians with ease.
Former Three Lions captain Shearer described goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s performance as “outstanding”, while fellow BBC TV pundit Rio Ferdinand felt defender Harry Maguire, who scored England’s opener, was “immense”.
This is what Shearer, Ferdinand and Germany legend Jurgen Klinsmann made of England’s key men on a special night in Samara:
Alan Shearer: “We were professional and thorough and every single player played their part, but Pickford was outstanding in goal when he had to be, when they got through our defence.”
Rio Ferdinand: “The timing of his first save was vital – you are making big saves at big times in games. If you are going to be successful in a tournament, you need your goalkeeper to stand firm but what he has showed here is character and personality.
“The confidence that has come out of the shootout save he made against Colombia was so apparent within this game because he makes saves, he is berating his defenders when Sweden are taking shots, and he seems to be commanding his backline at the moment, which is a great asset to have.”
Jurgen Klinsmann: “You need a goalkeeper who is in top form if you want to go far in a World Cup and Pickford is on top of his game.
“In the delicate moments he was right there. What really impressed me was his overall game and his distribution. His body language was always positive and focused too. You had the feeling he commanded his box.”