England's penalty shootout woes have been well-documented, but the Three Lions showed resilience and character to overcome Switzerland in a tense quarterfinal clash at Euro 2024.
Three years after the heartbreak of losing the European Championship final on penalties to Italy, England faced another shootout challenge, this time against a determined Swiss side. The match had ended 1-1 after extra time, with Bukayo Saka equalizing for England in the 80th minute.
England's players radiated confidence as they stepped up to take their penalties, and Trent Alexander-Arnold blasted the ball into the top corner to secure a 5-3 shootout victory. The win sent England into the semifinals, where they will face the Netherlands on Wednesday.
Alexander-Arnold, who had been benched for England's first two Euro 2024 games, was a surprise inclusion in the starting lineup and played a key role in the victory. He scored England's winning penalty and was praised by manager Gareth Southgate for his character and determination.
Trent has shown great character and resilience, Southgate said. He could have easily thought his tournament was over after not playing in the first two games, but he kept working hard and believing in himself. He's a valuable asset to this team.
Saka, who missed the decisive penalty in the Euro 2021 final, also stepped up to score in the shootout, showing great mental strength and resilience. The 22-year-old has been subjected to racial abuse on social media since the 2021 final, but he has refused to let it affect his performances on the pitch.
Bukayo is a special player, Southgate said. He's shown great maturity and resilience to bounce back from the disappointment of 2021. He's a key player for us and I'm delighted he was able to score the equalizer and then convert his penalty.
The other shootout scorers for England were Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, and Ivan Toney, who returned in January from an eight-month ban for breaching betting rules. England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford saved one of Switzerland's penalties, giving his team the advantage in the shootout.
Southgate's own England career was defined by a semifinal shootout miss against Germany when England hosted the 1996 European Championship. When he became manager in 2016, England hadn't won a shootout in 20 years.
England has now won three of four shootouts under Southgate's management, but they lost the most important one in the 2021 final. Southgate is determined to lead England to their first major tournament victory since 1966, and he believes this team has the potential to achieve something special.
We've never been to a final outside of England, we've never won a Euros, Southgate said. So there's two bits of history we'd like to create.
England's victory over Switzerland was a significant step towards achieving those goals, and the team will now be full of confidence heading into the semifinal against the Netherlands.
