England breaks footballing jinx

I have no reservations about supporting England in the FIFA world cup finals, as the UK's sole representative. (I still have reservations about the way Wales was eliminated in the qualification round, but that is another matter.) Earlier tonight, in winning through to the quarter-finals, England put to rest the hoodoo of the penalty shoot-out.

It should, of course, not have gone that far if the referees both on the field and in the VAR room had done their job. Serious foul play has gone unpunished, presumably for political rather than footballing reasons. It is to be hoped that standards are tighter for the next round.