England will have learned plenty from their penalty shootout win over Colombia and are aware of the barrier Sweden represent. Sportsmail looks at how the quarter-final might be won and lost

James Milner has revealed that he is excited to get the pre-season underway but insists their first fixtures has ruined his World Cup wall chart as Liverpool's first friendly clashes with England's quarter-final.

Steven Gerrard is confident England can beat Sweden in their World Cup quarter-final because they no longer have a maverick such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

It was an eventful game on the pitch but there were a number of events taking place off it as well. From a spare Gareth Southgate in the stands to how fans tried to keep up to date at wedding ceremonies.

It was another memorable victory for England as they beat Sweden 2-0 to reach the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in 28 years. 

ROB DRAPER IN SAMARA: Make no mistake. In the Samara Arena, situated on the banks of the River Volga in a far-flung corner of Russia, an England team made history.

Sweden started the match brightly as they threatened the Austrian goal but in the end were the cause of their own downfall after a horror own goal put them at a disadvantage early on. 

Turkey substitute Emre Akbaba got two late goals to snatch a stunning 3-2 win over Sweden in the Nations League as the visitors recovered from two goals down at the Friends Arena on Monday.

You know a match is perhaps not the most interesting when the key moment is a second half substitute. This was the case in Sweden, as the sub almost poked his own eye out while coming on.

Pep Guardiola has maintained he cannot be held responsible if £49million defender John Stones misses out on Euro 2020 due to a lack of game time at Manchester City.

The 38-year-old striker, who rejoined the club on December 27 in a surprise switch, will have his contract automatically extended for a season should Milan qualify for the Champions League.

Jo Konta took exception to being asked if she would 'offer her services' to Andy Murray in the Wimbledon mixed doubles, saying it made her sound 'like a hooker'. The British No 1 reacted with shock.

MIKE DICKSON IN NEW YORK: Konta is relishing big tournaments like never before this year, and she clocked her twelfth victory in the Grand Slams this season by reaching the US Open third round.

Nicola Sturgeon said the case for breaking up the UK was 'stronger every day' after the research found 52 per cent would support the move.

Dominic Cummings told Downing Street staff that Bill Clinton was more popular as he ignored the Monica Lewinsky scandal and concentrated on his political agenda instead.

Labour has been stepping up the pressure for opposition parties to back Jeremy Corbyn as head of a 'unity' government to avoid No Deal Brexit.

The PM even suggested that his Labour rival may throw his weight behind the separatist campaign, and questioned the left-winger's commitment to keeping the United Kingdom glued together.

In a dramatic intervention, Dominic Cummings said the General Election was 'much tighter' than the polls suggested and warned of a 'very real possibility of a hung parliament'.

The SNP won 35 seats in 2017 but managed to secure 12 more at the general election last week - a surge which has bolstered Ms Sturgeon's calls for a second breakaway ballot.

The SNP leader made the admission as she addressed the Holyrood parliament and tore into the Prime Minister after his election win. The SNP itself now holds 47 of the 59 seats in Scotland.

The Labour leadership challenger made the comment at a hustings event last week and provoked fury from the party as she labelled its members 'Tories wrapped up in nationalist clothing'.

Former Polish PM Mr Tusk suggested the UK would be focused on 'damage control' in the talks and warned Downing Street against planned divergence from continental rules.

Kate Forbes only found out that she would announce the Scottish Government's spending pledges for the coming year at around 8am today - just after Derek Mackay resigned in disgrace.

OLIVER HOLT - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER IN NICE: From his table at a restaurant on the Promenade des Anglais, Phil Neville stares out at the shimmering waters of the Mediterranean.

Wales manager Ryan Giggs faces a dressing-room rebellion as his side struggles to qualify for Euro 2020. Defeats by Croatia and Hungary have left Wales fourth of five teams in Group E.

Ex-Liverpool star Sakho, 29, was suspended from football in 2016 after testing positive for a fat-burning substance. But it later emerged that the substance was not on the banned list.

Michael O'Neill warned the real tests begin now as his Northern Ireland squad prepare to face Germany in Monday's crunch Euro 2020 qualifier.

Wayne Rooney reportedly warned Jamie Vardy about his wife Rebekah's behavior during Euro 2016 - as Coleen Rooney accused the WAG of selling stories on her in a extraordinary Twitter rant.

Georginio Wijnaldum admits Holland's recent absence from major tournaments has been 'painful' as they look set to end that exodus at Euro 2020 next summer.

Danny Tetley (pictured), from Bradford, West Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to getting his victims, many as young as 14, to send him explicit images of themselves.

The couple looked full of festive cheer as they enjoyed a romantic date night at Winter Wonderland in London 's Hyde Park over the weekend.

Viewers tuning in on Sunday night were left baffled as X Factor: The Band singer wore a hoodie emblazoned with a swear word before 9pm watershed.

Ray Quinn, who shot to fame on reality shows The X Factor and Dancing On Ice, proposed to his girlfriend Emily Fletcher over New Year's.

The Masked Singer raked in 6.5 million viewers despite people calling it the 'trashiest' TV filled with B-listers under a monster's mask. It stars a bizarre line-up including the former Home Secretary.

Dannii Minogue took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a throwback photo from her childhood. 

The Celebrity X Factor star, 34, who's already a dad to Aoife, seven, and Tadhg, five, who he shares with ex-wife Una, 38, married Jackie in August after just two months of dating.

The Love Island star, 23, showed off her sartorial style in a black denim jacket and shiny cargo trousers as she headed to Mahiki in London on Friday.

Olly Murs reminisced about his X Factor days with Caroline Flack on Thursday.

The X Factor winner, 32, revealed he's 'so happy hats were invented' as he shaved his head and donated £5k to the NHS amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Masked Singer star shared a sweet childhood photo of herself and sister Kylie baking at their grandmother's house at Easter on Sunday.

The former Love Island star, 23, revealed she is only just 'starting to love' her body as she posed in her underwear for a series of Instagram snaps on Monday.

The singer, 35, put a lot of effort into the video as he also donned an outfit inspired by Tiger King's Joe Exotic in an animal print top, blue jeans and a blond mullet.

The singer, 26, has revealed she is fearful for her father's health after he has been hospitalised twice during the coronavirus lockdown.

An Australian cruise ship has been forced to evacuate 2,000 passengers in Singapore after a contagious virus caused mass vomiting and diarrhoea.

Shoppers on the streets of central Singapore did a double take when millionaire socialite Jamie Chua, 45, and her lookalike daughter Calista, 21, walked past in matching mini-dresses.

A mind-blowing seafood and BBQ buffet in Singapore is being heralded as a 'foodie's dream' with 20 different kinds of meat, dipping sauces, oysters and lobsters on offer.

Subaru announced the release of the new Forester GT model - named the F.U.*.K.S edition - at the Singapore Motorshow last weekend. The rude acronym appeared to be deliberate.

Vincent and Jane Hee will also be chauffeured around in a Rolls-Royce, receive a rose-gold platinum ring set with a rare 2.08-carat diamond and spend the night at the Raffles Singapore hotel.

Singapore Airlines was entrusted with carrying St Therese of Lisieux's forearm and that of her parents Saints Louis and Zélie Martin, from France to Sydney this week.

The man, who returned from Singapore by plane last week, took himself to A&E at the Royal Sussex in Brighton on Sunday before he was transferred to Guy's Hospital in London (pictured).