SAMARA, July 7 -- The city of Samara, so closely linked to the Russian space program, has had its share of heroes over the years and there plenty of the city's high-rise blocks with murals of Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space on their sides. Just for a short time on Saturday, however, Gagarin was no longer the biggest hero for England fans in Samara and they could be forgiven for thinking a painting of Harry Maguire would very nice on the side of one of those buildings.
Maguire rose like the Soyuz rocket that stands in the main street of Samara to power Kieran Trippier's corner into the Swedish net after half an hour to open the scoring as England beat Sweden 2-0 to qualify for the semifinals of the World Cup for the first time since 1990.
England have other candidates for a mural: goalkeeper Jordan Pickford built on his penalty save against Colombia with 3 vital stops to keep the Swedes at bay, while full back Trippier produced two assists and Jordan Henderson was both a dynamo and calming influence in midfield.
With Dele Ali and Ashley Young recovered from slight physical issues during the week, England named an unchanged side, while Emil Krafth replaced the suspended Mikael Lustig for Sweden and Seb Larsson returned after suspension.
The game got off to a cagey start with Sweden's 4-4-2 setup closing down spaces in midfield, while England's timid probing for a way through wasn't helped by some wayward passes, with Dele Ali too often the guilty party.
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