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Watch England – Switzerland summary
England qualified for the semi-finals of the European Football Championship after beating Switzerland on penalties in Dusseldorf. The Dutch will face their opponents in the semi-final on Wednesday evening at 9pm.
England had to overcome a 1-0 deficit at half-time to reach the semi-finals in Dusseldorf. After Bukayo Saka equalised 1-1, extra time followed in which no goals were scored.
England took better penalties than Switzerland, with only Manuel Akanji missing. In the previous European Championship, England lost to Italy in the final on penalties.
England deal with penalty shock; Pickford saves Akanji's spot kick
Will the real England please stand up? This question has been hanging over Gareth Southgate’s disappointing squad throughout the European Championship, and once again the English were unable to find a positive answer, as their quarter-final showing was far from convincing.
With Saka – reluctantly – a wing-back on the right and Kieran Trippier in that role on the left, Southgate, on his 100th game as national manager, has carved out a place in midfield for the lone talent of 19-year-old Kobby Mainoo from Manchester United, alongside Declan Rice. That way Phil Foden can play a bit more of his preferred role, as can Jude Bellingham, the closest behind Harry Kane.
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So what did this strategic adjustment yield? Not much at first. After withstanding some harassment from the Swiss, Rice hit a long-range shot that was deflected in the 13th minute, which happened to Maino three minutes later, around the 16th minute.
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Saka's first break down the right led to the first corner in the 21st minute with a header wide of the target from Kane. The same Saka, the most dangerous player in the first half, reached the back line again four minutes later, and crossed his leg, but his cross did not reach a teammate.
The best moment came just before half-time when Saka again beat Michel Aebischer on the right near the backline and sent a ball through to Maino, but his shot was saved by Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka.
Embolo scores from close range to give Switzerland a 1-0 lead
England had little to fear from Switzerland, who also played with wing-backs, in the first half. Even after the break, England initially had more possession and only had to fear a rare Swiss attack, such as in the 51st minute, when Embolo suddenly played into the box but was brought down by Konsa and taken out with a ball.
Embolo scores 1-0
But the dominance of the pitch did not lead to any clear-cut chances, giving Southgate's men the feeling that a first-ever European Championship semi-final could be possible. N'Doye looked dangerous in the box midway through the second half but was denied by Kane.
England created little and were presented with the bill in the 75th minute. Ndoye received the ball on the right, crossed and saw his cross slightly blocked by John Stones who headed it home from close range: 0-1.
Southgate tried to turn things around with three substitutions (Luke Shaw, Eberechi Eze and Cole Palmer). It worked after just five minutes, although it was Saka's main strength that left Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer without a chance with a well-taken shot: 1-1.
Saka fires in powerful shot to keep England ahead of Swiss
After the equaliser, England slowed down again and with Switzerland no longer pressing, extra time ended for England, just as it had against Slovakia. Rice came close to making it 2-1 after five minutes, but Sommer fired wide.
Moments of horror
For example, England fans, who had been yearning for success since the 1966 World Cup, saw the match go to penalties, although there was a shock moment in the second half of extra time when a Swiss corner from substitute Xherdan Shaqiri ended up in the crosshairs. Shaqiri himself collided with Jordan Pickford’s fists moments later.
After Palmer had converted England's first penalty, Pickford proved the hero by stopping a poor spot-kick from Manuel Akanji straight away. Bellingham, Saka – who missed the European Championship final against Italy – Ivan Toney and Trent Alexander-Arnold scored to save England from the shock of a shootout.
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