WC Quarter-finals: Stage set for clash of the titans

England beat Colombia 4-3 during a pulsating penalty shootout in the last match of the 'Round of 16'. England will now face Sweden in one of the quarter-final matches. The two are among the eight teams vying for the four positions in semi-finals. Brazil will face Belgium, Uruguay will take on France while hosts Russia will compete with Croatia. There is a good chance for England to play the final this time as they have a relatively easy opponent in quarter-final and semi-final. England can even win the World Cup. They did win their first World Cup in 1966 after beating West Germany in the final by 4-2 goals. England had lost the 1990 semi-final to Germany and exited the 1998 and 2006 tournaments in a similar fashion. As fans of the sport, we can pray that the next few rounds will be as exciting as the last two of the FIFA World Cup.

Mohammed Sohel Hara

Bonosree, Dhaka.

[email protected]