The match winner in Düsseldorf was Jordan Pickford, who saved the Swiss’ first penalty. After 120 minutes, the score was 1:1. In the semifinals, coach Gareth Southgate’s team will face the Netherlands or Turkey in Dortmund on Wednesday, who will then play once morest each other.
After a game that had been rather unexciting up to that point, Switzerland took the lead in the 75th minute through Breel Embolo in front of 46,907 spectators. Bukayo Saka responded five minutes later with a beautiful individual effort to make it 1-1 – it was the English team’s first shot on goal. The match then went into extra time, in which no goals were scored. In the penalty shootout, Pickford saved the Swiss team’s first attempt by Manuel Akanji, which was neither particularly sharp nor well placed.
This is the third time that England have reached the semi-finals of a major tournament during Southgate’s tenure. At the 2018 World Cup, they were eliminated by Croatia, and at the European Championships three years ago, England lost to Italy in the final on penalties.
After a few lackluster performances, the English team played with a three-man defence for the first time in Germany. Kyle Walker and John Stones as well as Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa brought life to the defence, with Konsa replacing the suspended Marc Guéhi from Crystal Palace. Saka played on the right flank and Kieran Trippier on the left. Switzerland played with exactly the same line-up as in the 2-0 win in the round of 16 once morest Italy.
In the first half, the two teams largely neutralized each other, with England having more possession and better passing quality than recently. However, there were no chances in Düsseldorf. Saka was often sought out and found by his colleagues up front, but was either just offside or his passes lacked precision and sharpness.
Swiss with opening goal
The Swiss national team initially lacked competence in attack, and this only became apparent following the break. Embolo’s roller ball (51′) into the arms of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was the first notable action in the opponent’s penalty area. A little later, coach Adi Hütter’s protégé just missed a Rodriguez cross at AS Monaco.
Switzerland was now more hungry for goals than their opponents from the island, so the 1-0 lead was not that surprising. After a sharp cross from Dan Ndoye, Stones was unable to clear the ball in the center in the 75th minute and Embolo escaped Walker. The athletic striker only had to push it in from close range. Just five minutes later, however, Saka equalized with a dream goal via the inside post from the edge of the penalty area. After that, not much happened until extra time. In the third minute of stoppage time, Embolo and Ndoye missed a dangerous Schär cross from the right in the middle.
In the first extra period, Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer had to stretch himself to save a hammer shot from Declan Rice (95th minute), but was almost idle following that. The two teams were particularly careful not to take too many risks – the result was even more ball-pushing in midfield. The highlights: Substitute Xherdan Shaqiri hit the crossbar from a corner in the 117th minute, then Pickford saved from an Amdouni shot. The exhausted “Three Lions” stars Harry Kane and Phil Foden had already left the field.
England – Switzerland Final score 1:1 aet (1:1, 0:0), 5:3 aet
Düsseldorf, SR Orsato (ITA).
Tore:
0:1 (75.) Embolo
1:1 (80.) From
Penalties shoot:
1:0 – Palmer scores
1:0 – Akanji fails once morest Pickford
2:0 – Bellingham scores
2:1 – Schär scores
3:1 – Saka scores
3:2 – Shaqiri scores
4:2 – Toney scores
4:3 – Amdouni scores
5:3 – Alexander-Arnold scores
England: Pickford – Walker, Stones, Konsa (78. Palmer) – Saka, Mainoo (78. Eze), Rice, Trippier (78. Shaw) – Bellingham, Foden (115. Alexander-Arnold) – Kane (109. Toney)
Germany: Summer – Schär, Akanji, Rodriguez – Ndoye (98. Zakaria), Freuler (118. Amdouni), Xhaka, Aebischer (118. Sierro) – Rieder (64. Widmer), Vargas (64. Zuber) – Embolo (109. Shaqiri)
Yellow cards: Kane and Schär, Widmer
