Football
Chris Wright, Toe Poke writer 6y

Gareth Southgate and Mateus Uribe: Is this the enduring image of England's penalty win over Colombia?

Gareth Southgate provided one of the images of the World Cup after overseeing England's penalty shootout win over Colombia in the round 16.

While many coaches might have simply basked in the victory, Southgate took the time and effort to offer words of consolation to several of the Colombian team, including Mateus Uribe who missed.

Southgate's magnanimous sporting conduct was widely commended, with many concluding that it was a result of the heartbreak he himself experienced as a young member of England's Euro '96 team.

Then it was he who tasted the bitter sting of shootout defeat after missing a spot-kick in the crucial semifinal decider against Germany at Wembley.

All in all, Southgate has shown himself to be the type of leader not immediately synonymous with English football. Sensitive, compassionate and thoughtful.

Lest we forget that he is also the man responsible for single-handedly saving the UK waistcoat industry this summer. What a hero.

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