Euro 2024: England edge out Switzerland on penalties, enter semis

Jordan Pickford saved Manuel Akanji’s penalty, the first shot Switzerland took in the shootout, and England converted all five shots to win the shootout 5-3 and enter the semi-final of the European championship for the second time in as many tries.

Under coach Gareth Southgate England have won more knockout games in eight years than they had in over 50 years before that. Breel Embolo’s 75th minute goal put England on their way out but Bukayo Saka made it 1-1 in the 80th with a long-ranger as sweet as it was sudden.

Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Saka, Ivan Toney and Trent Alexander-Arnold scored for England. Fabian Schar, Xherdan Shaqiri and Zeki Amdouni scored for Switzerland. Saka had missed in the tie-breaker in the final of Euro 2020.

The first shot on target came in the 51st minute and it came from Embolo but with a back three, England had their best beginning in their last four matches. Switzerland looked more threatening with the pace of Embolo and Dan Ndoye and England’s first few real actions were Ezri Konsa, Kobbie Mainoo and Declan Rice making important blocks. With Marc Guehi suspended, Konsa, 26, came in as left centre-back.

Konsa looked sure – the way he checked Embolo in the 51st minute was one proof of that, twisting and getting a header ahead of Embolo in the 56th was another – Phil Foden played through the middle, Bellingham was strong on the left, Harry Kane didn’t need to drop into midfield, England played further up the pitch and gradually began asserting themselves. Saka was a threat on the right despite two players on him. But for a superb block by Granit Xhaka, Mainoo could have scored in the 44th after Saka broke through evading Michael Aebischer and Ruben Vargas.

Aebischer was given a torrid time by Saka. Problem was: either the final ball lacked polish or there weren’t enough white shirts near Yann Sommer’s goal. Bellingham’s ball meant for Kane after a strong run that didn’t reach him meant the second half began as the first had ended. And for long periods, Kane, who got a touch in the penalty box once every 20 minutes – having played less and been impeded by a mask Kylian Mbappe has got more – went missing.

Switzerland are known for qualifying from the group stage and then going home. Quarter-finals are not their scene and if the one in Euro 2020 is excluded, you would have to go all the way back to the World Cup they hosted in 1954 for another. Italy were the first opponents they beat in regulation time in a knockout round.

But, in Germany, Yakin’s team has meant business. Switzerland had been unbeaten in four games and kept their first clean sheet against defending champions Italy in the last round. They came to Dusseldorf with a 92% passing accuracy, their most since 1966. Seven of those who started against Italy also did in 2021.

Between Sommer, Manuel Akanji, the fit-again Xhaka, Fabian Schar, Remo Freuler, there are over 550 international caps. And this is a side packed with winners. Sommer, Akanji and Xhaka have won leagues last term in Italy, England and Germany.

Xhaka and Yakin have not always been on the same page, the Switzerland captain even saying that the team played with the intensity of a kickabout in a park. But things transformed following a dinner conversation between coach and captain in Dusseldorf over a lot of good red. Xhaka has been described as “player-coach” by Yakin and the captain has reciprocated by saying the coach is open to ideas. Which means Switzerland playing like Xhaka’s Bayer Leverkusen and giving him the freedom to dictate terms from the base of the midfield. Needed more on defensive duty, it wasn’t quite that initially on Saturday.

Xhaka began moving up in the second half and results were immediate. He found Embolo, then Manuel Akanji reached Ndoye with a raking ball, Walker had to block a Vargas ball meant for Embolo. Switzerland were asserting themselves again. It needed an important interception from Kane to deny Ndoye in the 68th minute. When England did move up who but Xhaka to get his head in to stop Bellingham and win a free-kick. In the 100th minute, it was Xhaka again who made an important block to deny Bellingham.

Fittingly, he had a marginal role to play in Embolo’s goal, setting it into motion. Ndoye took it forward and found Embolo who stabbed home getting in front of Walker. Switzerland had seven goals from seven different scorers going into Saturday’s match. Switzerland coach Murat Yakin wouldn’t mind that an eighth scorer didn’t arrive.

England though had a new scorer, their third, in Southgate’s 100th match and fourth successive quarter-final. This is a team that fought back in the 90+5 minute. Saka’s screamer from range came well within regulation time. Switzerland ended extra-time stronger, Shaqiri hitting the horizontal with a corner-kick and Amdouni drawing a save from Pickford, and to penalties it was. Southgate’s England don’t have a lot of things. Character and resilience they do.