England made it to the World Cup semifinals after defeating Sweden 2-0 at the Samara Arena on Saturday. They face either Croatia or hosts Russia, who play the last of the quarterfinals later on Saturday. England last reached the semis of a World Cup in 1990. Gareth Southgates young team came into the match as firm favorites and had too much for the Swedes, although they were indebted to another fine performance from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in a 2-0 win. Leicester defender Harry Maguire headed in the opener from a corner on 30 minutes -- Englands eighth goal from a set-piece at the World Cup – with Dele Alli adding a second, also from a header, just before the hour. Man-of-the-match Pickford made three outstanding saves to keep Sweden at bay, further burnishing a reputation that has grown throughout the tournament. "Its a great achievement for the team, we owed it to the fans back home who believed in us," said Alli. "Its always nice to score, especially on occasions like this. Its an amazing feeling to be going to a semi-final at a World Cup." The tournaments leading goalscorer Harry Kane failed to find the net for the first time in the competition, but the England captain said confidence was high after posting the countrys best run at a major tournament since Euro 96. "Were buzzing. We know there is still a big game ahead, but were feeling really good," he said. With no multiple winners left in the tournament after the exits on Friday of Brazil and Uruguay, it is one of the most wide-open World Cups of modern times and England will start to believe they can reach their first World Cup final since 1966, when they won the tournament at home. As England basks in a long heatwave, life came to a standstill for the match, with fans watching the game on big screens at events up and down the country. The party began with beer showers and chants of "Footballs Coming Home" -- Englands unofficial football anthem written for the Euro 96 tournament. Prince William, the president of the Football Association, praised Southgates men. "You wanted to make history @England and you are doing just that," he tweeted. "This has been an incredible #WorldCup run and weve enjoyed every minute. You deserve this moment – Footballs Coming Home!" Even if Southgates team reach the final, William will not attend the match because of Britains diplomatic boycott of the World Cup in Russia over a nerve agent attack in England this year. Sweden coach Janne Andersson said England are capable of winning the World Cup. "Yes, I definitely believe they are," Andersson responded when asked if England were good enough to win the tournament. "Theyre strong and well-organized. Id like to pay tribute to both the team and the coach. "Theyre a good football side, they dont give a lot of openings. I believe they are perfectly capable of going all the way." For Sweden, who failed to qualify for the previous two World Cups, it was their best result since finishing third at the 1994 finals. "We came through to the quarter-finals in a World Cup. I think we performed really well to get here, we just werent good enough to beat this side today," Andersson said. The first of the semifinals will be contested between Belgium and France on Tuesday and the second will be played on Wednesday.