For a long time, the situation was sad. But in a dramatic penalty shootout, the English managed to reach the semi-finals of the European Championship in a duel with Switzerland.
After the lucky shot, the tension of the English national football team was released in a frenzy of joy. Winning goal scorer Trent Alexander-Arnold smashed the ball into the stands and enjoyed the exuberant cheers of the fans. With a 5:3 (1:1/1:1/0:0) penalty shootout against Switzerland, the Three Lions averted the threat of being eliminated from the European Championships thanks to goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and moved into the semi-finals.
The Swiss Manuel Akanji, the tragic hero of the match, was inconsolable. The former Borussia Dortmund professional was the only penalty taker to fail in the nerve-wracking thriller, being saved by Pickford.
After 120 minutes, the quarter-finals were 1:1. In front of 46,533 spectators in Düsseldorf, England’s Bukayo Saka (80th) equalized the Swiss lead through Breel Embolo (75th).
Alexander-Arnold: “Showed a lot of character”
As in the round of 16 against Slovakia (2:1 after extra time), the Three Lions showed comeback qualities. “The team showed a lot of character, a lot of belief, a lot of conviction, a lot of passion too. And exactly when it mattered, we managed it,” said Alexander-Arnold after the lucky win.
The next opponent of the star ensemble, which is considered one of the favourites, is the Netherlands in Dortmund on Wednesday (9 p.m.), who beat Turkey 2-1 in the evening.
For the Swiss, however, the dream of a historic coup and the first entry into the round of the last four teams at a European Championship is over. After strong performances in the group phase and the convincing round of 16 victory over Italy (2:0), coach Murat Yakin’s team, which includes numerous Bundesliga professionals, lacked luck. “We fought and did everything we could to ensure that the fairytale continued. We were close, but in the end the English had the better nerves,” said offensive player Xherdan Shaqiri.
In his 100th game as England coach, Southgate once again refrained from experimenting with the starting eleven – despite the many critical voices about his almost unchanged selection of personnel in the past few lackluster games. But to the chagrin of guest Prince William and the many English fans, the coach’s trust in his regular players once again did not pay off.
Although the team was more concerned with control and speed this time, they rarely used their offensive potential. In all attempts to unsettle the well-organized opposing defense, they again lacked ideas and penetration.
Uncomfortable Swiss
The Swiss proved to be the uncomfortable opponents that we expected. In keeping with the motto of their coach Yakin shortly before kick-off – “We don’t experience this very often as a small country, we want to enjoy it” – they played in a relaxed manner. Unfazed by brief periods of pressure from the English, they never lost their composure.
The spectators did not see a single clear goal-scoring opportunity in the first half. The Swiss only came close to taking the lead when Ruben Vargas crossed in (9th minute), but Dan Ndoye narrowly missed. On the other side, two shots from Kobbie Mainoo (16th minute/44th minute) were blocked at the last minute.
The only active player in the English offensive was dribbling artist Bukayo Saka, whose passes from the outside line in the opponent’s penalty area, however, rarely found a taker.
First shot on goal of the match after half-time
The first shot on either goal came after half-time, but Swiss striker Breel Embolo’s attempt from close range in the 51st minute didn’t cause any problems for English goalkeeper Pickford.
However, this brief excitement did little to change the sadness. Both teams continued to shy away from taking risks and limited themselves to a few offensive actions. If anything, it was the Swiss who tried their luck.
And the Swiss were rewarded. After a cross from Ndoye, the former Schalke and Mönchengladbach player Embolo was there and pushed the ball over the line from close range.
This goal brought life to the game, and the English response was not long in coming. Saka’s first shot on goal hit the inside post to equalize – and force extra time.
There, England’s Declan Rice tested Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer with a powerful shot from distance (95th minute). Shortly before the end of extra time, substitute Shaqiri hit the post with a direct corner kick (117th minute). The Swiss kept up the pressure, but no more goals were scored in extra time. In the penalty shootout, the English had the better nerves.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
