England beats Switzerland to qualify for Euro 2024 semis

England then faced a penalty shootout without their captain and de facto penalty taker Harry Kane, who had been replaced by Ivan Toney in the second half of extra time.

There was no need for England fans to panic though, as Gareth Southgate’s side scored all five of their penalties.

England v Switzerland - Dusseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf, Germany - July 6, 2024 England's Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Pickford celebrate after winning the penalty shootout Pic: Reuters
Image:Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Pickford celebrate after winning the penalty shootout. Pic: Reuters

After Cole Palmer stepped up first and scored for England, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford helped the team to an early advantage in the shootout as he saved Manuel Akanji’s strike.

England’s Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Ivan Toney then followed suit with three more goals, leaving Trent Alexander-Arnold to coolly put away the fifth.

England v Switzerland - Dusseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf, Germany - July 6, 2024 England's Trent Alexander-Arnold scores a penalty to win the shoot-out REUTERS/John Sibley
Image:Trent Alexander-Arnold calmly stepped up and scored England’s final penalty. Pic: Reuters
England v Switzerland - Dusseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf, Germany - July 6, 2024 England's Trent Alexander-Arnold scores a penalty during the penalty shootout past Switzerland's Yann Sommer. Pic: Reuters
Image:England’s winning penalty. Pic: Reuters

The triumphant display came three years after England were denied the Euro 2020 title when they lost on penalties to Italy.

The Prince of Wales was among fans who cheered England on at the Dusseldorf Arena and could be seen out of his seat and punching the air after their 80th minute equaliser.

England will play their semi-final match on Wednesday and face the Netherlands, who beat Turkey 2-1 later on Saturday evening.

The match had seen Switzerland go 1-0 up in the 75th minute after a goal from Breel Embolo – but England levelled the score just five minutes later with a goal from Saka.

For the second match in a row, England then faced extra time.

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Image:Bukayo Saka scoring in the 80th minute. Pic: Reuters
Soccer Football - Euro 2024 - Quarter Final - England v Switzerland - Dusseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf, Germany - July 6, 2024 England's Bukayo Saka celebrates scoring their first goal Pic: Reuters
Image:Pic: Reuters

Declan Rice came close to giving England the lead five minutes in to the extra half an hour of play, but his long-range effort was tipped around the post by Switzerland’s keeper, Yann Sommer.

England’s quarter-final fightback comes after they were almost eliminated from the tournament last Sunday, after falling 1-0 down to Slovakia – until Bellingham scored a stunning equaliser with seconds to spare.

Kane then scored the winner just minutes into the first half of extra-time, and Southgate’s side held on despite some tense moments.

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Gareth Southgate’s post-match reaction

Southgate hailed his side for showing “incredible composure” during the penalty shootout and added: “I’m so, so proud of them.”

The manager also heaped praise on goal and penalty scorer Saka – who was one of the players to miss a penalty at the Euro 2020 final.

England v Switzerland - Dusseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf, Germany - July 6, 2024 England manager Gareth Southgate celebrates after the match Pic: Reuters
Image:Southgate marked his 100th match as England manager with a win on penalties. Pic: Reuters

“He kept delivering,” he said. “And we showed the patience to keep probing and trying to tire the opposition.

“As well as all of that, you have to show other qualities to win in tournaments and these players are showing unbelievable qualities of character and resilience. It’s not just about playing well.”