SAKA THE NET
Bukayo Saka buries demons to score penalty after stunning equaliser to help England slay Swiss to reach Euros semi
Thousands of England fans packed into the Dusseldorf Arena to watch the Three Lions' triumph
LIONHEARTED Bukayo Saka buried his demons last night to score a penalty in England’s Euros quarter-final shoot-out win.
The team blew away their spot-kick hoodoo with a brilliant 5-3 triumph over Switzerland.
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And it was a moment of redemption for 22-year-old Arsenal star Saka, who missed a penalty during the Euro 2020 final against Italy three years ago.
After the game Saka, who was named player of the match, said: “I’m going to put it up there. Special. How we fought back and to go to penalties.
“Last time we took a penalty shoot-out at the Euros we know what happened.
“I believed. I felt like we dominated the whole game and the chance would come and I took it. I’m proud of myself for that.
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“I think it shows how much we want to win this tournament. Hopefully, next game we can win in 90 minutes but if this is what it takes, we will do anything!”
Speaking about his penalty miss at the Covid-delayed Euro 2020 final, Saka said: “I have faith in God.
“To come back from something like that’s really difficult. Today I took the chance.”
Thousands of England fans packed into the Dusseldorf Arena, and millions more back home, grimaced as the tight match ended 1-1 after extra time.
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But Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions stars blasted home all five of their penalties, with keeper Jordan Pickford saving one Swiss effort, to book a place in Wednesday’s semi-final in Dortmund.
Bukayo Saka reacts to England's penalty shootout victory over Switzerland
Southgate, overseeing his 100th match in charge of the national team, said of the shoot-out win: “We have done a lot of work on it. We’ve won three out of four shoot-outs now.
“In the end the players have to do it and deliver. For players to come into the game and do what they did, for someone like Bukayo and what he’s been through to go through that pressure [is great].”
He added: “I thought the players were brilliant. It’s the best we have played. To come from behind and show character and resilience we did . . . it isn’t just about playing well. It was so brave from Bukayo, he’s one of our best and we were never in question he would take one. But we all knew what he went through.
“Huge performance, huge result and we’re still in it.
“We had to be tactically spot-on. We are in a third semi-final and it says a lot about the whole group. I thought we had good control.”
Team captain Harry Kane, who was replaced by Ivan Toney in the second half of extra time, said: “That’s tournament football for you. You have to find a way.
“When you look at past champions in competitions, they have to go through penalty shoot-outs. It comes down to moments. For Saka to step up and score that goal was special for him.
“I was weirdly calm during penalties. We have a lot more players that take them for their club. I know they are comfortable and know Pickford normally saves one.
“I think penalty shoot-outs are the highest pressure you will feel as a professional footballer.
“But for him [Saka] to step up like he did after the tough time he had been through, I am really proud of him and proud of everyone.
“There is one week left. We will see how far we can go.”
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Jude Bellingham, who scored England’s second penalty, said: “All in all it’s probably our best performance of the tournament.
“We’ve very proud of the boys. The things you can’t always measure and see is character and mentality and we showed that again in the shootout. For subs to come on and take a penalty in that pressure is a special, special thing.
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“I do the practice like all the other lads and I have my process. I rely on the practice I do. Sometimes you can step up and miss.
“I always think there’s a comfort when you’re following a process you’ve come to terms with.”