For 92 minutes, England were leading 1-0 and worthy of going through
By the end of 120 they were halfway out of the World Cup at 1-1 with penalties to come.
History has not favoured the English from the spot: but enter heroes of the hour: goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and final make-or-break penalty taker Eric Dier.
Pickford made the only save of the five-versus-five shootout, while Dier held his nerve to hit the final spot kick home and progress England to play Sweden in the quarter finals on Saturday.
England were ahead 1-0 courtesy of a Harry Kane penalty after he had been rugby tackled by Carlos Sanchez in the 52nd minute.
He got up to slot it home with ease past David Ospina in the Colombian goal.
They held that lead until three minutes into time added on when Yerry Mina headed home powerfully despite Kieran Trippier’s futile attempted block on the line (1-1).
He should instead have been marking his man.
There was no more after the two extra periods of 15 minutes each way.
It should not have come down to the penalty raffle, and it might not even have got there had Pickford not also made a sensational save in the 92nd minute.
For England, especially those who read the tabloids, Colombia had turned the Sun to darkness.
To be fair, Colombia should have been down to 10 men in the first half after a should-have-been-red card head butt by Wílmar Barrios on Jordan Henderson as the wall was forming for an England free kick on the edge of the box.
He somehow escaped with a yellow card for the ironic ‘Liverpool kiss’.
The penalty shootout – the third in the eight Last 16 matches – was intense as England’s shooters took on Arsenal’s Ospina, while Colombia – who would also not win the FIFA Fair Play Award – faced Jordan Pickford..
Radamel Falcao, Jose Fernando Cuadrado and Luis Fernando Muriel all hit perfect spot kicks that gave Pickford no chance, but Mateus Uribe saw his shot rattle the posts and Carlos Bacca had the agony of seeing Pickford get a strong hand to his goalbound shot.
For England, Kane and Marcus Rashford nailed theirs; Ospina guessed right and foiled Jordan Henderson; and Trippier and Dier then did the final business for the Three Lions.
