Twitter in meltdown as England finally win penalty shootout

John Murray

No, you haven’t woken up today in a parallel universe. Yesterday, England genuinely won a football match on penalties.

In case you thought you had dreamt it, here it is again:

England’s 4-3 shootout win over Colombia last night saw their historic record on penalties rocket from an appalling one win in seven, to a somewhat unflattering two in eight. The Three Lions have now only lost three quarters of the shootouts they have played in.

Suddenly, a nation believes, and Twitter has reacted predictably.

The tone for a dizzy and disorientating night was set beforehand by England’s most capped player of all time, Peter Shilton. His tweet of support may have misspelled Colombia and used the flag of Georgia emoji instead of the St. George’s cross, but he meant well.

England beat Columbia tonight and you can go all the way to the final there is no team we can’t beat! This is our biggest game for along time with so many fancied team already gone home. Come on boys we can do it, COME ON ENGLAND !!! @England @FIFAWorldCup 🇬🇪🇬🇪🇬🇪
— Peter Shilton (@Peter_Shilton) July 3, 2018

The game itself was pretty ill-tempered and, in my entirely unbiased opinion, that was solely down to the antics of the Colombian players with their headbutting, wrestling in the box and kicking lumps out of the penalty spot before Harry Kane took his kick. Some Twitter users were less than impressed at the standard of refereeing.

This ref is trash 🚮 bottled the red for a head butt and draws a line with the vanishing spray before he’s got the wall back 10 yards. We’re in for a long night here, comrades
— Matt Zarb-Cousin (@mattzarb) July 3, 2018

The referee has no control over this, like the supply teaching who turns up with a friendly attitude and ends up getting locked in the cupboard. #ENGCOL
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) July 3, 2018

Including one or two Colombians, in fact, showing that we all see the game through tinted spectacles.

#ENGCOL
THE REFEREE EVERY TIME HE SEES A COLOMBIAN PLAYER pic.twitter.com/SZrWyYh2NU
— Lola𖧵🇨🇴 GAMBLER (@mymyself32) July 3, 2018

As the game went on, passions became more and more stirred. Nobody epitomised this better than actor and legendary English hardman Ross Kemp, who tweeted this terrifying image of his enthusiasm boiling over.

It’s not just a game believe #COLENG #EnglandvColombia pic.twitter.com/dd9EdDppYl
— Ross Kemp (@RossKemp) July 3, 2018

Of course, the real talking point was England’s first shootout win since 1996. Here is a selection of the best tweets as the penalty drama unfolded.

Dier’s penalty is miles better with titanic music #ENGCOL pic.twitter.com/xHbgbwiNri
— Will (@willgreatorex) July 3, 2018

my watch telling me I’m about to die during the #ENGCOL shootout pic.twitter.com/nOHfmruZqZ
— swifty (@swiftypls) July 3, 2018

BREAKING: Live scenes from Hell as England win penalty shootout.#ENGCOL pic.twitter.com/mBOwx7DJkr
— Have I Got News For You (@haveigotnews) July 3, 2018

#ENGCOL
English fans reaction to Dier winner penalty 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/xDGEIMa5kL
— Adel Al-shehri (@AdelAlsheri1899) July 3, 2018

Lost for words. A win on penalties is long overdue. Let's hope this is our time. #ENGCOL #WorldCup
— Sir Geoff Hurst (@TheGeoffHurst) July 3, 2018

Who says politicians don’t get it? Conservative MP Nigel Huddleston shared these celebratory scenes from the House of Commons.

Tension followed by celebration at @HouseofCommons by MPs as the final penalty is taken. Go England! #ENGCOL #Worldcup pic.twitter.com/CwWYRHihQi
— Nigel Huddleston MP #GetBoostedNow (@HuddlestonNigel) July 3, 2018

Locally, Chester FC joint manager Anthony Johnson may not be too popular with his neighbours today, although no doubt his local pub was happy to welcome the Johnsons for a post-match tipple.

https://twitter.com/amjonno/status/1014252166826135554

Hopefully, he will have composed himself in time for the Vanarama National League North fixtures being released today.

All in all, it’s a reminder that nothing gets us talking and tweeting like football. Whether you love the sport or hate it, you should get on board with the World Cup if you do any kind of social media marketing. Football is so intrinsic to our lives, there’s sure to be a way you can link it to your business or organisation.

Of course, Gareth Southgate’s men must negotiate another three games if a repeat of England’s one and only World Cup win of 1966 is to be achieved, but for now, we’ll just leave this here!