HAS everyone physically and emotionally recovered from last night yet?

I still don’t think I have.

What a night for English football, and it was no less than we deserved.

WATCH: How Golden Square and Postern Gate reacted to England's shoot-out victory

For 92 minutes, we played the perfect game. We did not fall for the skulduggery of the Colombian players and there was an air of calm about everything we did.

When the equaliser went in, England teams of days gone by probably would have crumbled in extra time. Not this team.

Particularly in the second extra period, we regained our composure and went on to actually win a penalty shoot-out.

Even those who aren’t football fans will know of England’s wretched shoot-out record. Hopefully, Tuesday exorcises that particular ghost.

For what it’s worth, I take my hat off to all five England players who stuck their hand up to take a penalty. Even Jordan Henderson, who saw his effort saved.

In theory, a penalty is easy. A free shot from 12 yards, no problem surely?

Throw in a seemingly endless and lonely walk from the halfway line to the penalty spot, tens of thousands of jeering Colombian fans in what effectively felt like a home game for them and the pressure of 24 million people tuned in at home all watching you and you alone. Then, it becomes so much harder.

Taking one of those penalties takes incredible guts, something England teams have seemingly lacked in recent years. I applaud each and every one of them.

So onwards we go to the quarter-finals, and that leaves me in a bit of an emotional quandary.

We have achieved everything I wanted us to accomplish at this World Cup. We have played in a forward-thinking manner, won a knockout game and a penalty shoot-out.

Already, I consider this tournament to be a success from an English point of view. Gareth Southgate and his young team have won the hearts of the nation, something many thought was a nigh-on impossible task.

And yet, all that stands between us and a place in the semi-finals is Sweden. A team ranked 12 places below England in the FIFA world rankings.

Nobody can deny that this draw has opened up for us and that this could be our best chance of reaching at least a semi-final – maybe even beyond – in many of our lifetimes.

Not for one moment am I looking past Sweden. One thing that stands out about them is their incredible organisation and we will have to be much more clinical than we have been to break them down.

That said, will part of me be disappointed if we do not win on Saturday afternoon? Absolutely.

It is a difficult one to call, but whatever happens I have enjoyed England’s Russian adventure.

Hopefully next time I come to write this column, football will still be coming home.