England's win over Colombia at the 2018 World Cup ended a long shootout hoodoo. What was significant about that penalty win?

England's Penalty Curse — and How It Finally Ended

For nearly three decades, penalty shootouts were England's nightmare. From the heartbreak of Italia 90 to the gut-punch exits at France 98 and Germany 2006, every time England reached a World Cup shootout, they lost. It became something close to a national trauma — a footballing curse that felt almost supernatural in its consistency.

Then came the summer of 2018, a sweltering night in Moscow, and a Colombia side that had pushed England all the way through 90 minutes and extra time. When the referee's whistle confirmed the shootout, plenty of England fans were already bracing themselves for the familiar pain.

The Shootout That Changed Everything

What followed was genuinely historic. Jordan Pickford, England's young Everton goalkeeper, had done his homework. Reports emerged that England's backroom staff had compiled detailed dossiers on Colombian penalty takers — where they liked to shoot, their tendencies under pressure. Pickford had that information written on a water bottle he kept by the post.

It paid off. When Colombia's Carlos Bacca stepped up needing to score to keep his side alive, Pickford dived to his left and palmed the ball away. The save was sharp, instinctive, and precise — exactly what the moment demanded.

Then up stepped Eric Dier, a midfielder not always associated with the glamour end of international football. He sent the Colombian keeper the wrong way and slotted home. England had won. Their very first World Cup penalty shootout victory, at the fourth attempt.

Why It Took So Long

The 1990 semi-final loss to West Germany set the template — Pearce blazing over, Waddle skying it into the Turin night. In 1998, it was Batty and Ince who failed against Argentina. By 2006, when Cristiano Ronaldo's wink followed Rooney's red card and England crashed out to Portugal, the shootout had become synonymous with English failure.

What made 2018 different was preparation. Gareth Southgate, himself famously the man who missed against Germany at Euro 96, was determined to treat penalties as a skill to be practised rather than a lottery to be endured. England trained specifically for shootouts in the build-up to the tournament — a straightforward change that previous management had reportedly avoided, superstitiously or otherwise.

The Moment That Mattered

The scenes at full-time were extraordinary. Players piled on top of each other in a heap of disbelief and relief. Fans in pubs and living rooms across England erupted. It wasn't just a quarter-final place secured — it was the lifting of something that had hung over English football for 28 years.

Colombia were a tough, physical, at times cynical opponent. But on that night in Moscow, England didn't just beat them. They finally, conclusively, beat their own history.