JADON SANCHO and Marcus Rashford have been hailed for their bravery as they went some way to exorcising the ghosts of their Euros final nightmare.
The Manchester United pair stepped up at Wembley on Sunday and both scored in a tense FA Cup semi-fnal penalty shootout as the Red Devils prevailed 7-6 over Brighton.
But it took guts after both missed against Italy at the same venue on July 11, 2021 as England lost.
They were then subjected to disgraceful racist abuse on social media and have also had to suffer chants from rival fans about “letting their country down” in club games since.
United team-mate Luke Shaw believes a lot must have been playing on their minds as they prepared to take their kicks on Sunday and how he gave 23-year-old Sancho a pep talk just before his.
Shaw, 27, said: “I was next to Jadon. I said, ‘Whatever happens happens, just be confident. It’s part of football, things happen, these things happen.’
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“And I think maybe what was playing on their minds, are the things that come with it, the racism and stuff that they experienced last time.
“But, of course, for me, they showed amazing confidence to step up and because the last time they took one in a shootout it was, of course, here and the memories of that.
“But I’m really happy for both of them to put themselves forward and take really good penalties.”
Of course, Shaw had opened the scoring in the Euros final that night after just two minutes before Italy pegged the Three Lions back and forced penalties.
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Bukayo Saka also missed as Italy triumphed 3-2.
It was the second time in just a few months that Shaw and Rashford had suffered penalty heartache having gone down 11-10 in a marathon shootout against Villarreal in the Europa League final that May.
Shaw said: “For me, personally, I’ve been involved in two penalty shootouts and I’ve been on the losing side both times so to win one was a big relief for me.”
The defensive ace, who seamlessly switched from left-back to centre-back again on Sunday, believes booking a date in the FA Cup final against neighbours Manchester City has put a gloss back on their season.
That shock 3-0 defeat away to Sevilla as they exited the Europa League at the quarter-final stage last Thursday raised all the old questions about this team’s failings as doom and gloom swept in again.
Shaw said: “As players in the back of our mind that of course was there because, you know, at the start of this week, it was the biggest week of the season. There was no doubt about it.
“A massive game in the Europa League and then of course this. It will have defined our season. I think if we get knocked out of both of them, then you’re right about the season looking different.
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“I think a lot of people thought we would lose. But inside the dressing room we had the confidence.”
It was a very different Erik ten Hag who faced the media on Sunday to the one that emerged from the rubble of the drubbing in Seville.
The manager was furious last Thursday saying he did not recognise the team that wilted in the amazing atmosphere at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan.
Shaw said: “He said, ‘That’s a team out there today,’ and he wasn’t sure who or what was there on Thursday night but obviously that wasn’t acceptable.
“It doesn’t put things right but it puts us in a good place to finish the season well because Champions League is a must for us and a Manchester derby now in the FA Cup final is an amazing game to be involved in.”
United stand fourth in the league on goal difference behind Newcastle but with a game in hand.
They travel to fifth-placed Spurs on Thursday who are in disarray after going down 6-1 at St James’ Park, trailing 5-0 after 21 minutes.
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Ten Hag’s team were in a similar state last Thursday.
Now they’ve bounced back again as they reset their sights on a cup double and third place.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
