England will meet Russia in the IBSA Partially Sighted Football World Championships semi-final today, after successfully advancing from the group stage.
Drawn alongside Japan, France and holders Ukraine, Ian Bateman’s team clinched second place in Group B on goal difference to reach the last four.
England 10-2 Japan
Their emphatic victory over Japan in Sardinia went a long way to ensuring England’s progress.
Steve Daley bagged a first-half hat-trick and there were goals too for Jeremy Vernaeve and debutant Gareth Jones as England ran riot against a side ranked fourth in the world.
Vernaeve hit another after the restart, before Paul McHugh, Josh Pugh, Adam Lione and another debutant Craig Groves added their names to the scoresheet.
England 0 Ukraine 2
Reigning world champions Ukraine were then pushed all the way in an intense contest.
Bateman employed a high-pressing tactic that completely nullified their powerful opponents for long periods.
Ukraine did make the breakthrough before half-time from a set-play, but Daley was denied an equaliser when his long-range shot came back off the post.
As England continued to push, Ukraine scored a second against the run of play to seal the points.
England 2 France 2
England needed to avoid defeat to reach the semi-finals, but they had to ride a rollercoaster of emotion before securing an all-important point.
McHugh gave England a deserved lead, but France piled on the pressure either side of half-time and went ahead.
Bateman’s team are well-versed in pressure situations though, having secured bronze at the European Championships in December, and held their nerve to level with a Daley free-kick.
France did have a late chance to triumph, but a world-class Dylan Malpas save clinched the draw.
England squad: Dylan Malpas, Mark Croft, Adam Lione, Craig Groves, Gareth Jones, Steve Daley, Josh Pugh, Tom Lamb, Andy Cahill, Paul McHugh, Harry Gibbons, Jeremy Vernaeve
