Cole Palmer took the first. Ice cold, as always. He buried it past Yann Sommer. Jude Bellingham claimed the second. He paused in his run-up and committed Sommer. Then he slid it past him and spread his arms out wide.
Then it was Bukayo Saka. Saka who had missed a penalty in the Euro 2020 final and been racially abused in the aftermath. Imagine the pressure of taking this one. He took a short run-up and slid his penalty into the corner. He cupped his hands to his ears to the England fans behind the goal and drank it in. They screamed out their love and their adoration of him as the beer flew.Â
Then it was Ivan Toney. Penalty number four. Toney, who spent much of last season banned after being found guilt of gambling offences. Toney who never misses penalties. Never misses. Toney who’s even colder than Palmer. Toney slotted it home nervelessly, low to Sommer’s right.
And then it was Trent Alexander-Arnold. The man who had been made a scapegoat for England’s early struggles in this tournament when the experiment of playing him as an auxiliary midfielder failed to fire.
Trent, who some people thought might not feature again in this tournament, suddenly entrusted by Gareth Southgate with the fifth penalty. Trent, who is one of the best strikers of a ball in the Premier League. He walked up as if there was not a scintilla of doubt in his mind.Â
England beat Switzerland in a penalty shootout to book their place in the Euro 2024 semi-finals
Substitute Trent Alexander-Arnold celebrates scoring the winning penalty for the Three Lions
England captain Harry Kane hugs his team-mate as England soar through to the last four
Jordan Pickford made a huge save to deny Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji in the shootout
Bukayo Saka celebrates after rescuing England with a superb goal in Dusseldorf on Saturday
The moment England fans celebrate as Alexander-Arnold’s penalty strikes the back of the net
The ball bounced back to him out of the back of the net and he booted it high into the stands and the England fans in the corner there rushed out of their seats and danced on the giant flag that was spread out across several rows of seats.
Five heroes for an England side that is still, somewhat improbably, still marching towards the European Championship final in Berlin next Sunday night. Five of the new breed. Five men who Southgate can look at proudly and think that these are all his sons.
For so long, Southgate embodied the pain of the penalty shoot-out for England but he has changed that as he has changed so much of the under-achievement that dogged this nation for so long after winning the 1966 World Cup final.
He helped to remove the curse when he led England to a shoot-out victory over Colombia in the first knock-out round of the 2018 World Cup in Moscow but then it returned to haunt him, and Saka, when England fell to Italy in the final of Euro2020 at Wembley three years ago.
Nor should we forget Jordan Pickford, of course. Pickford saved Switzerland’s first penalty from Manuel Akanji and that was enough when the Southgate’s boys of summer stepped up to take care of the rest.
There was a time when, if a game went to penalties, it was assumed England would lose. Not any more. They beat the Swiss in a penalty shoot-out in the Nations League in 2019 and now they had done it again. They did not play particularly well in this quarter-final but, once again, they simply refused to lose.
They came from behind, as they did against Slovenia in the previous knock out round, they rode their luck and they held their nerve. And now they will go to Dortmund on Wednesday and play for the right to face either Spain or France in the final.
That last four tie at the Westfalenstadion will be the third semi-final that Southgate has led England into in the last six years. Those who persist in criticising him and abusing him and damning him with faint praise really ought to take a look at themselves.
England will have to play better than they did here in the Dusseldorf Arena if they are to get to Berlin but then we have been saying that after every single game Southgate’s side has played here and they keep finding a way.
From nerves to utter joy! Prince William celebrates as England beat Switzerland on penalties
Breel Embolo fired the Swiss ahead in the 75th minute, putting England on the brink of an exit
But Saka’s sublime effort from outside the box five minutes later put England back on terms
Cole Palmer stepped up first for England and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot
Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane and Co ran over to Saka to celebrate after his sublime equaliser
They look like a team just waiting to be knocked out but no one can put them down. They are this tournament’s great survivors.
Southgate courted yet more dissension when his team selection was announced an hour before the kick-off. Many felt strongly that, in the new back-three formation he had chosen, Trent Alexander-Arnold should have been picked at right wing-back.
Southgate opted for Saka instead with Kieran Trippier on the left. For much of the first half, though, Saka was England’s most dangerous threat. He toyed with Switzerland defender Michel Aebischer time and again, curling in a succession of balls into the box that the Swiss centre halves dealt with well.
No one could call England’s play scintillating but there were signs of improvement compared to the opening four games. That is not a particularly high bar but Phil Foden was more involved in the game in a central attacking role and Kobbie Mainoo was a driving force in midfield.
England dominated possession but when Switzerland did come forward, Ezri Konsa, in the side for the suspended Marc Guehi on the left of the back three, was quietly impressive and authoritative.
England found it difficult to create clear-cut chances but in the last minute of the half, Saka wriggled away from Aebischer again and cut the ball back for Mainoo. Mainoo drilled a shot towards goal but it was smothered immediately by a brilliant block from Granit Xhaka.
England were not booed off at half time, which felt like progress. They suffered a minor alarm five minutes into the second half when Breel Embolo summoned the game’s first shot on target and Konsa appeared to injure his knee as he tried to block the attacker’s rather tame effort.
Konsa recovered. He defended superbly again to stop Embolo latching on to a dangerous cross from Ricardo Rodriguez but Switzerland grew more and more into the game and England began to look tired.
Harry Kane was struggling to make any impact at all. There have been question marks over his fitness throughout this tournament and England missed greater mobility in attack. Midway through the half, Kane was booked for grappling with Manuel Akanji.
Fans react to Embolo’s opening goal for Switzerland, fearing the worst as England went behind
But pain turned to utter joy five minutes later as Saka kept England’s Euro 2024 dream alive
Harry Kane was substituted off in extra time after clattering into Southgate on the touchline
Jude Bellingham (left) encourages Declan Rice (right) after he tests Yann Sommer in extra-time
Saturday’s quarter-final marked Southgate’s 100th match in charge of the Three Lions
The Swiss manager Murat Yakin made two substitutions. Southgate did not make any. It was costly. England had a visible energy deficit and now the Swiss attacked with renewed vigour and belief.
It was not a surprise when they took the lead. Dan Ndoye found space on the right and drove in low cross that deflected off Stones as he tried to clear it and found its way to Embolo a few yards out. Embolo prodded it over the line.
Now Southgate reacted. He brought on Luke Shaw, for his first appearance of the tournament, Eberechi Eze and Cole Palmer and reverted to a back four. Those who felt it was too little too late were wrong.
Five minutes after the Swiss strike, England equalised. There was no build-up to speak of. It was all Saka. He got the ball on the right, cut inside on to his left foot and curled a quite brilliant shot past Jan Sommer from 20 yards.
England may have plenty of shortcomings but, as Southgate pointed out earlier in the week, they are good at refusing to accept defeat. They still needed a bit of luck to make it to extra time, though. Ndoye seemed to be about to direct a flying header into an unguarded goal when Embolo stretched for it, unaware his teammate was behind him, and touched it away.
Embolo kept John Stones (left) busy throughout the second half and eventually got his reward
Fans watch on nervously in Dusseldorf as England struggle to break Switzerland down early on
Bellingham (right) was cleared to play after UEFA’s probe into his crotch-grabbing celebration against Slovakia, with the midfielder escaping with a a fine and a suspended one-match ban
Kieran Trippier (above), who has deputised for Luke Shaw so far, lined up on the left-hand side again, despite reports suggesting he would play as a right wing-back against the Swiss
Kobbie Mainoo came close to breaking the deadlock before Granit Xhaka blocked his effort
Declan Rice brought a fine, flying save out of Sommer in the fifth minute of extra time but as thoughts began to turn to penalties, Southgate had to weigh up whether to leave Kane on the pitch even though he was clearly exhausted.
Five minutes into the second period of extra time, Kane was bundled over the touchline by an opposition challenge and even though Southgate tried to stop him falling, Kane tumbled over a drinks carrier and clutched his leg. It seemed to make up the manager’s mind. He brought on Toney and took the skipper off.
Switzerland nearly negated the need for penalties. Pickford had a rush of blood to the head and came for a long ball he was never going to reach. A tackle from Saka rescued him there and a minute later, the woodwork saved him when Xherdan Shaqiri whipped a corner into the near post and it bounced off the angle of upright and crossbar.
Then came the penalties. Then came redemption. Then Southgate stepped back and trusted what remained to all his sons. He is still at the crease. One hundred not out.