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DIEGO MARADONA has sensationally claimed Colombia were robbed of a place in the World Cup quarter-final after England won via a penalty shoot-out last night.
England fans went through the wringer last night after Harry Kane’s second half penalty put them 1-0 up only for Yerry Mina to score a stoppage-time equaliser to force extra time.
Neither country were able to find a breakthrough, meaning the game went to penalties where Jordan Pickford proved to be the hero.
He saved Carlos Bacca’s penalty before Eric Dier secured England’s place in the quarter-final where they will face Sweden on Saturday (3pm).
But the match itself was shrouded in controversy with Colombia clearly trying to rile up their opposition.
Wilmar Barrios escaped a red card when he head butted Jordan Henderson and there were several other incidences where Colombia players got in the referees face and tried to disrupt play.
However, Argentina legend Maradona saw it differently.
The 1986 World Cup winner made his allegiance clear before the game by posting a photo on Instagram of him wearing a Colombia shirt and believes it was England’s opponents who were shortchanged by referee decisions.
“I saw a monumental theft,” he said. “I apologise to all the Colombian people, but they must know the players are not to blame.
“It is the man who decides who the referee is who is to blame. A man like that (Geiger) should not be put in charge of a game of that magnitude.
“With all due respect, Pierluigi Collina, as the man who designates the referees, he is very bad. He must apologise to the Colombian people.
“I told (FIFA president) Gianni Infantino that if I worked for FIFA I would change everything. It has to be transparent. That’s why I didn’t go there.
“The referee will know a lot about baseball, but he has no idea about football. The Colombian players asked for VAR and he did not give it to them.
“Twice the English threw themselves to the ground and he did not admonish them. This was theft.”
England nemesis Maradona, who scored with the ‘Hand of God’ in 1986 to send the Three Lions home in Mexico, even accused Harry Kane of conning the referee for the penalty in the first half.
“The penalty was not a foul. In fact, it was Kane’s fault,” he said.
“The referee is looking somewhere else and when he turns his head, Kane is on the floor.
“Kane used his arm to hook Sanchez and then threw himself down.
“I repeat, why didn’t the referee ask for the VAR? Colombia died standing. That’s why I applaud them.”
Source:www.express.co.uk
