HE was the penalty shootout hero in the last-16, now England goalkeeper Curtis Anderson wants to help the team into the semi-finals of the Under-17s World Cup.

Anderson saved one spot-kick and scored another as the Young Lions overcame Japan following a goalless stalemate in Kolkata.

The Ulverston teenager, on the books at Manchester City having started out in football in Dalton with Crooklands Casuals, will step out in Goa tomorrow for the quarter-final showdown with the USA (3.30pm BST kick-off), live on Eurosport.

It is England’s first game away from Kolkata, where a 53,000-strong crowd were immersed in the drama as they overcame the Japanese, Anderson having kept his second World Cup clean-sheet in three games in doing so.

They will only return to the football-mad city for the final on Saturday, October 28 should they overcome the Americans in Goa and then come through a semi-final against either Germany or Brazil in Guwahati on Wednesday.

But that is firmly in Anderson’s sights, the South Cumbrian youngster having spoken before the tournament about England’s desire to go one better than they did at the European Championships earlier in the year and lift the trophy.

“I wouldn’t say we are expecting anything different in terms of how well we will do, because we know what we expected from the start,” said Anderson of England’s prospects.

“We are in a very positive place, so yes, of course the final is in sight, but that’s not based on how we are doing, we had it in sight before we started the tournament.”

On tomorrow’s opponents, who had to battle through the group stages before a convincing 5-0 success against Paraguay in the last 16, he added: “We are expecting a fast, athletic, physical team in them, but it’s nothing we aren’t good at.

“Everything they’ve got, we’ve got, so it’s just a game for us. Just like every game, it’s in our control.”

Looking back at the shootout win, Anderson said he relished the scenario as he saved Hinata Kida’s penalty before stepping up himself to give England the crucial advantage on the way to a 5-3 success.

“It was a new experience for me, I’d never been in that position before so I just tried to embrace it and do my job,” Anderson said of the penalties, confirming it was always the plan for him to take one and he had not studied the Japanese players’ spot-kick techniques beforehand. “I knew 100 per cent we would win the shootout, I had no doubts. The lads looked focused and I knew I’d save at least one, and I knew none of us would miss.”