JORDAN PICKFORD’S penalty heroics were aided by a shoot-out cheat sheet on his WATER BOTTLE.
England’s No1 saved from Switzerland defender Manuel Akanji as the Three Lions sealed a 5-3 win on penalties after drawing 1-1 in 120 minutes.
And he only narrowly failed to keep out ex-Stoke and Liverpool man Xherdan Shaqiri too, as he dived the right way for two of the four spot kicks he faces.
But it wasn’t mere guesswork from the Everton stopper.
That’s because he had meticulous instructions for every Swiss player written on his drinks bottle.
Next to Akanji’s name, Pickford had written “dive left”.
READ MORE ON ENGLAND
And that’s exactly what he did as he stopped Switzerland’s first penalty, which ultimately earned the Three Lions a semi-final clash with Holland in Dortmund on Wednesday.
Pickford could have saved the next one too, had he listened to his own research.
For Fabian Schar’s kick, he faked to dive left and then went right, the complete OPPOSITE of the instruction on his bottle.
And the Newcastle man actually put it exactly where Pickford had planned, and into the back of the net.
Most read in Euro 2024
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
In fact, Switzerland’s Zeki Amdouni was the taker NOT to do exactly what was written on Pickford’s bottle, sending his penalty down the middle as Pickford dived left.
But one save was all it took for Pickford as Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Ivan Toney and Trent Alexander-Arnold all converted with unwavering assurance.
England player ratings: Saka the saviour for Three Lions but subbed Kane stuggles in penalties thriller vs Switzerland
BUKAYO SAKA showed huge courage as he dug England out of a hole and through on penalties against Switzerland, writes Tom Barclay.
The Three Lions looked to be going out when Breel Embolo had put Swiss ahead on 75 minutes.
But Arsenal star Saka dragged England back into five minutes later with a stunning effort off the post.
To penalties it went – just like it did between these two sides five years ago in the Nations League.
And just like back then, Jordan Pickford made a save – repelling the Swiss’s first effort from Manuel Akanji.
England were perfect from then on, with Cole Palmer, Jude Bellignam, Saka, Ivan Toney and finally Trent Alexander-Arnold sending the Three Lions into the semi-final.
Here’s how the players rated…
Jordan Pickford: 7
Had his heart in his mouth when Xherdan Shaqiri’s corner deep into extra-time hit the post and bar, but then pulled off a smart stop to take it to penalties.
Saved Manuel Akanji’s first spot-kick by diving low to his left.
Kyle Walker: 6
Spent most of the game on the right side of a three which meant he could not get forward. Embolo got in front of him for Switzerland’s opener. Won the toss so the penalties were taken in front of the England fans.
John Stones: 6
Crisper passing in the first half, much better than his sloppy Slovakia display, but his deflection on Dan Ndoye’s cross diverted it to Embolo.
Ezri Konsa: 6
Was decent in the first half of his maiden start at a major tournament but, like the rest of the team, went into his shell after the break.
Kieran Trippier: 6
Had been expected to play right wing-back but was once again on the left.
Solid defensively but, as has been the case throughout the tournament, offered little going forward on his unnatural side.
Declan Rice: 7
Anticipated, and subsequently, won a number of 50-50s at the base of England’s midfield.
It was his decoy run that opened up the space for Saka to find the corner, before his 25-yard wonderstrike was denied by a flying Yann Sommer save in extra-time.
Kobbie Mainoo: 6
Some decent drives forward from midfield. Looked as if he would fire home an opener just before the break after
Bukayo Saka’s nice cutback, but was denied by Granit Xhaka’s excellent block.
Bukayo Saka: 8 and STAR MAN
Did not play at left wing-back as expected, but was England’s most dangerous attacking player throughout – and none more so when he came to the rescue with his 80th-minute leveller which flew in off the post.
Showed huge courage in the shoot-out as he stroked home his penalty beautifully, three years on from missing in the last Euros final.
Jude Bellingham: 6
Produced a few graceful dribbles which showcased his quality in the first half but pretty quiet.
Looked knackered but showed big cojones with his low penalty.
Phil Foden: 6
Admitted before the game that his central role would suit him better and it seemed to in the first 20 minutes, but faded after that.
Harry Kane: 4
This system just does not suit him. He needs runners, but does not look like he is going to get them.
Just could not get into the game and was subbed out of it in extra-time, seconds after he was sent crashing into his manager on the touchline.
SUBS
Cole Palmer (for Konsa, 78): 7
One of three players to come on in reaction to Switzerland’s opener – why did it take so long, Gareth? Dispatched England’s first spot-kick with aplomb.
Luke Shaw (for Trippier, 78): 6
First minutes of football since February, slotting in on the left side of back three as Southgate went for broke.
Eberechi Eze (for Mainoo, 78): 6
Carved out a nice bit of space for himself in the dying moments but fired wide.
Ivan Toney (For Kane, 109): 7
It was no surprise to see him come with the prospect of penalties on the horizon – what was more of a shock was that it was for spot-kick maestro Kane. Was knocked over in the box right at the end of extra-time, but nothing was given. Confident penalty.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (for Foden, 115): 7
Thrown on late into extra-time. Belted home his spot-kick to win it.
Gareth Southgate: 4
The adjusted back three system worked to a certain extent, but still the approach looked to be to keep it tight and rely on a moment of magic.
Saka provided that for the leveller, but given the talent at his disposal, it seemed very limited.
Took an age to make a change – prompted only by Switzerland going ahead. But got his subs right when it came to the penalty shoot-out.
It adds to Pickford’s already impressive penalty record with England.
He saved one in the shoot-out against Colombia at the 2018 World Cup, before saving and scoring against Switzerland in the Nations League the following year.
He even saved two against Italy in the Euros final in 2021, only for England to end up losing.
And he spoke about that pedigree in penalty shoot-outs ahead of the Switzerland game.
He said: “History of winning major tournaments shows that you’ve got to go into extra time, maybe win a penalty shoot-out.
“It was the Nations League for third place and the bronze medal but you’ve got to learn from them experiences and take them experiences into major tournaments.
“It was a good feeling back then to get them experiences under our belt.”
Asked if he would take another against Switzerland if required, he added: “I will step up. I’m not the manager but I will practise and I will be prepared.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
“We know they are a very good side, they’ve just knocked out the reigning champions [Italy] and are playing some very good football so they aren’t going to be a team we’re taking lightly.
“We’re going to have to prepare fully for it and that is what we will be ready for.”
I know we needed penalties… but England showed vs Switzerland why they can WIN Euro 2024, says Jack Wilshere
IT TOOK penalties to put us through but, before the drama, England showed us why they have the ingredients to do something special, writes Jack Wilshere.
It was a win by the narrowest of margins but this was overall our best performance of Euro 2024.
If we can build on the progress we made, especially in the first half, we could WIN the tournament.
It was not a complete display. There were nervy moments and waiting so long to make changes could have cost us.
But we saw what a good team England can be if they do the right things and put players in the right positions.
The first half was England’s best since the first 45 against Serbia. Maybe even better.
One of the keys to that was our press and the effect it had on Granit Xhaka.
For the first time in four games we were pressing high, winning the ball back in better areas and putting Switzerland on the back foot.
In previous matches, our forwards were pressing but the gaps between our lines were too big.
That was leaving huge gaps for Declan Rice and whoever was partnering him to cover.
This time there was better structure and organisation.
There seemed to be more of a plan for when to drop into a block and when to jump out to press.
Now England have the opportunity to build momentum and show why they can win this tournament.
Read all of SunSport columnist Jack’s Euro 2024 articles.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
