Jordan Pickford helped England top past Switzerland on sanctions in their Euro 2024 quarter- last on Saturday
Given the way the country has been playing, a penalty battle at some point seemed unlikely to be necessary to make a significant time at Euro 2024.
Three Lions fans have had to lay through a pair of lacklustre draws in the party stage and a previous- 16 win that needed a 95th- minute equalizer and then an additional- time winner to make it to their quarter- last with Switzerland.
With only 15 minutes left, Breel Embolo scored, some supporters feared the worst, and it once more turned out to be another anxious matter. However, Bukayo Saka was able to push more time for his side after Gareth Southgate made a triple change to equalize.
In what was England's earliest shootout since their spot-kick defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 last, after 30 more goalless minutes, penalties were awarded.
After Cole Palmer calmly slotted home the second penalty, Jordan Pickford dived to his left to dispute Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji and put England in the driving seat. A beautiful set of work from Jude Bellingham, Saka, Ivan Toney and Trent Alexander- Arnold sealed a 5- 3 succeed, as Pickford's save made the difference.
Following the battle success, hawk- eyed fans on social media spotted Pickford's key weapons, as photographs showed that his liquid bottle was wrapped with a penalty shootout crib sheet, telling him which way to dive for every member of the Switzerland squad.
&# 128064, &# 128167, Pickford's water bottle for the shootout … ' Akanji, dive left'. photograph. twitter.com/Kp7zOH2cb6July 6, 2024
Some of England's research proved to be correct, as the education for Akanji was to ' dive left' and that's precisely what Pickford did to make the save.
This was Pickford's third penalty shootout with England and his second success, following a 2019 Nations League win over the Swiss and the 2018 World Cup triumph over Colombia when his save from Carlos Bacca ensured that England snapped a run of five subsequent shootout defeats that started when Southgate missed against Germany in the Euro 96 semi- last.
England will now face the winner of the Netherlands and Turkey's quarter- final in Dortmund on Wednesday evening, with a place in the Euro 2024 final at stake.
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