ENGLAND have reached the World Cup semi-finals after beating Sweden 2-0 in their quarter-final match in Samara.

Goals from Harry Maguire and Dele Alli were enough to see of the Swedes in a physical encounter.

England will now play the winner of tonight's game between hosts Russia and Croatia.

England began the game slightly scrappily, Ashley Young mis-controlling twice on the left in the opening couple of minutes and Walker drilling a pass straight at Marcus Berg's back.

They did see more of the ball though, with Sweden holding their shape and inviting England on.

Raheem Sterling's first forward run led to a free-kick, which Henderson took quickly but straight against a Sweden player.

The referee waved play on but England immediately lost the ball attempting to switch the play wide on the left.

Alli dispossessed Krafth at the next England attack but his through-ball for Harry Kane ran too long and was easily gathered by Robin Olsen.

The game had taken on a sluggish pace when Viktor Claesson was given space to shoot from 25 yards and let fly as England backed off.

The shot sailed comfortably high and wide but goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was furious at the opening that had been offered and loudly remonstrated with his defenders.

Space opened up in front of Claesson again on the quarter-hour but his ball into the box came off Henderson and allowed Harry Maguire to clear.

In the 19th minute England finally broke with some speed, Henderson cleverly shuttling the ball forward for the dashing Sterling.

The Manchester City winger made good progress upfield and stepped aside when his run brought him alongside Kane. The six-goal captain swept a shot at goal from 20 yards but was a yard off target.

After a long, patient build-up Sterling finally took England inside the box and appealed for handball when his chipped pass hit Emil Forsberg.

Replays showed nothing for referee Bjorn Kuipers to be worried about and when England broke again, Trippier crossed too close to Olsen, who smothered.

England won their first corner after half an hour, after good work from Henderson, Alli and Trippier.

As so often at the tournament it proved a gold-mine for Southgate's side, Young clipping a ball towards the penalty spot in Maguire's direction.

The Leicester man attacked the space, leapt above Forsberg and powered home to make it 1-0.

The goal settled England, though Sweden did not react by immediately chasing an equaliser.

Krafth, whose possibly unnecessary header gave England the corner, made a couple of attempts to find Marcus Berg in the box but could not find the perfect cross.

Sterling was pulled up for offside after going through one on one with Olsen but his reticence over releasing his shot spoke of his growing nerves in front of goal.

The same issue reared its head seconds later when Henderson sent him clear with a wonderful pass over the top.

Sterling's first touch was good but Olsen got a glove to it as he attempted to round the keeper. He cut back on himself then, with Kane and Alli waiting, opted to shoot. The angle was not in his favour and Andreas Granqvist deflected the effort wide, to Sterling's visible frustration.

The half-time whistle followed after one more moment of pressure in the Swedish box, leaving England with the 1-0 lead.

The second half was less than two minutes old when Sweden finally bared their teeth.

Berg went up against Young at the far post and when a hanging cross was swung in from deep, he climbed above the full-back and headed goalwards.

Pickford, having not made a save of note in the first period, was impressively alert and dropped one-handed to paw the ball away from goal.

Young was not having the best day in open play but continued to contribute from set-pieces, helping create some danger with a 53rd-minute free-kick.

Maguire's first contact gave Sterling a sniff at the back post and when the ball made it back to the defender, he nodded it across the six-yard box.

Sweden cleared but were no closer to getting to grips with England's dead-ball routines.

England had started to enjoy extra space in the final third, created by Sweden's greater need to attack.

In the 59th minute that territory turned into their second goal of the evening. Trippier played the ball back for Lingard and when the Manchester United man hung a cross towards the back post Alli slipped the defensive net.

By the time he leapt to nod the ball home he was all alone, with Krafth's hopes for an offside flag coming to nothing.

Sweden needed a response and only Pickford's brilliant intervention stopped them producing one almost immediately.

Ola Toivonen's low cross was cleverly back-heeled by Berg for Claesson, whose snap shot was destined for the bottom corner until the Everton goalkeeper produced a fine tumbling stop.

Claesson might still have buried the rebound but Henderson threw his body in the way to make a vital block and keep England in sight of a first semi-final in 28 years.

Sweden made two changes with 25 minutes to go, replacing Toivonen and the quiet Forsberg with John Guidetti and Martin Olsson.

The alterations did not help them repel another England corner, half clearing only to leave Maguire in space sweeping up a ricochet.

He hooked a shot at goal but his effort did not stop rising and never worried Olsen.

Sweden cut England open at the back in the 71st minute, a flicked header and a skiddy cross enough to take advantage of tiring legs.

Berg was the beneficiary, collecting the ball slightly behind him but turning to whip a powerful shot at goal from eight yards.

Pickford may have been unsighted by Maguire but reached high to tip the ball over with fingertips for what looked another goal-saving contribution.

England made their first substitution with 14 minutes left on the clock, new father Fabian Delph replacing Alli.

The midfielder, who missed the win over Colombia to attend the birth of his third child, was quickly into the action with a curling cross that almost fell nicely for Kane.

Sterling continued to go looking for his first England goal since October 2015 but when he tried to turn home Trippier's cross Krafth put a vital foot in.

Eric Dier, for Henderson, and Marcus Rashford, for Sterling, were both on the pitch by the time five minutes of added time were announced.

Sweden, though, had already spurned a tempting free-kick as Augustinsson blazed over the bar.

There were no further dramas before the full-time whistle, England securing their place in the last four - and a meeting with Russia or Croatia - with a 2-0 win.

As Three Lions blasted out over the PA system England celebrated - not with the riotous passion of their penalty shootout success but something more calm.

The next stop is Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on Wednesday and another potentially career-defining night.

"We have always said take it game by game, we can go and make our own history," said Wearside born Pickford after the game.