Time to sign off here, but I’ll leave you with our match report, reaction and analysis. Enjoy your Saturday nights, and please drink responsibly. See you in Dortmund!
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England’s semi-final opponents will be the Netherlands or Turkey … and it’s the latter who lead at half-time in Berlin. Samet Akaydin scored the opener with a header, and the Dutch have 45 minutes to turn things around.
Paul MacInnes gives us the fans’ view from Düsseldorf after England again rescued victory from the jaws of defeat:
Has any moment summed up England’s tournament better than Harry Kane falling into Gareth Southgate in extra time? And yet, they are in the semi-finals.
England’s Euros run now encompasses two British prime ministers. Here’s what the new man at No 10, Keir Starmer, had to say about the result:
Calm under pressure. Brilliant win @England 🏴
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 6, 2024
Rob Draper’s player ratings are in:
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Thanks, Will. Let’s check in at Silverstone, where George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris made up the top three on the grid, and then watched England’s shootout win on the big screen. Lovely scenes.
Front row lock out at home race ✅
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 6, 2024
Watching your national football team make it to the Semi-Finals of @EURO2024 ✅
Thousands of fans to enjoy the moment with ✅#F1 #BritishGP #Euro2024 @England pic.twitter.com/ZHFBAra1TJ
The marathon continues with Niall McVeigh. Ta ra.
We all have to assume that Luke Shaw will need to start the semi-final …
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India and Pakistan fans unified by England winning a penalty shootout. Lovely scenes.
Scenes at Edgbaston where India are playing Pakistan but people are watching the England game.
— Harjap Singh Bhangal (@HarjapBhangal) July 6, 2024
2 sets of rival supporters united by their love of England!#PakvsInd #ENGSUI #comeonengland #england pic.twitter.com/gDuhu3wvbH
Pickford > Shilton.
4 - Jordan Pickford has saved four of the 14 penalties he has faced in shootouts at major tournaments, twice as many as all other England goalkeepers combined saved between 1990 and 2012 (2 out of 36). Hero. pic.twitter.com/vspFL4aZLG
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 6, 2024
Who will England play? Scott Murray will hopefully have the answer soon.
“Labour in No 10, England win a Euros game on penalties AND I’ve just put the central heating on in July,” says Showbizguru. “We’re living in unusual times ...”
Niall Mullen says: “In case there’s an England France final can we start campaigning now for it to go straight to penalties?”
Write to Uefa.
Manuel Akanji: Dive Left.
Gareth Southgate: “I thought the players were brilliant. It is the best we played, we caused them a lot of problems. They are a hard team to play against. To come from behind again and showed resilience and character is what it’s about. Winning tournament is not all about playing well all the time.
“It is so brave, he is one of our best. There was no doubt he would take one – we all know what he went through.
“We played well today and had to be tactically spot on. We are in a third semi-final, it says a lot about the group.
“We needed to get pressure on their back three and couldn’t do that without changing shape. We had to be disciplined and turned the ball over. Phil was a problem for them to pick up. We had good control. For some of the balls into the box, we should have more men in there.”
“Kane is England’s liability that apparently cannot be dropped just as Ronaldo is for Portugal,” says Phil Midgley. “Slows down the play, cannot run and if he is somehow substituted the team looks so much better. Hopefully he will be injured for the next game.”
Jonathan Wilson’s column is here for your enjoyment.
Jude Bellingham: “It is probably all in all our best peformance, we dominated. We were comfortable defensively but did not create those big chances.
“We showed character and mentality in the penalty shootout. To take a penalty with all that pressure is a special thing.
“These moments are only special if you go on to win the tournament. We have to back it up in a few days.”
Jacob Steinberg’s report has landed.
All those hours devoted to studying the psychology of penalty shootouts, of working out how to banish the demons, of removing the randomness – all of it came together to make the difference for Gareth Southgate, who lives to fight another day after yet another act of escapology from England.
Harry Kane: “There’s a few hearts skipping a beat out there. Another tough game. Great resilience from the lads to go a goal down and come back.
“I felt comfortable with the lads and they scored five out of five. It was great.
“We trust in whoever is on the pitch. The difference is we have proven penalty takers with Ivan, Cole and Bukayo.
“Unbelievable. For Bukayo to play a new position and to play the we he did, with and without the ball, and to score the penalty in the manner he did. Incredible.
“I had a bit of cramp and tripped over the water bottles but I am fine.”
Karen Carney is very much the biggest England fan I know.
That winning feeling 🤣@GNev2, Karen Carney and @JoleonLescott react to Trent Alexander-Arnold's winning penalty for England 🏴#Euro2024 | #ENGSUI pic.twitter.com/IQRqB9WgEb
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 6, 2024
Bukayo Saka: “I am going to put it there with the best nights for England. It was special with how we fought back. I am proud of everyone.
“I felt we dominated the whole game and would get another chance.
“I have faith in God to come back from something like [missing the penalty in the Euro 2020 final] that is difficult but I used it to make me stronger.
“It shows how much we want to win the tournament. In the past two games we have gone down and come back. Hopefully we can win the next game in 90 minutes.”
The moment England secured victory (as celebrated on Centre Court at Wimbledon)
Centre Court erupts as the news that @England have won on penalties filters through 🏴#Wimbledon | #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/OoKv7n1tVo
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 6, 2024
Trent Alexander-Arnold: “Incredible. These are the goals we set for ourselves. A difficult opponent and we went behind. We showed a lot of character and heart. We knew it was going to be tight. We won and that’s all that matters.
“It is what we practised. A lot of practise went into it. I enjoy the pressure.”
Baz has wandered off for pod duties so I (Will Unwin) will bring you some hot reaction.
England go through ...
All five of England’s penalty-takers came through when it mattered, which meant Jordan Pickford’s save from Manuel Akanji was enough to send England through to the semi-finals of Euro 2024. They’ve put their fans through the wringer again but they’re hanging in there.
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ENGLAND ARE THROUGH!!!
Trent Alexander-Arnold scores the winning penalty and England advance to the semi-finals of Euro 2024.
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England 4-3 Switzerland
Zeki Amdouni fires the ball down the middle, as Pickford goes to his left.
England 4-2 Switzerland
Ivan Toney scores into the bottom left-hand corner. Sommer goes the right way but can’t get to it.
England 3-2 Switzerland
Xherdan Shaqiri scores despite Pickford going the right way.
England 3-1 Switzerland
Bukayo Saka pulls his low effort into the bottom right-hand corner, hitting the side-netting. Sommer goes the wrong way again.
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England 2-1 Switzerland
Fabian Schar follows suit, rolling into the same corner.
England 2-0 Switzerland
Jude Bellingham rolls the ball into the bottom right-hand corner.
England 1-0 Switzerland
Manuel Akanji has his low effort saved by Jordan Pickford
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England 1-0 Switzerland
Cole Palmer scores for England, sending Sommer the wrong way.
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Here we go …`
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We'll have penalties!!!
ET30+2: Toney goes down in the Switzerland box and is Steven Zuber-adjacent as he does so. His half-hearted penalty claims are waved away and the referee blows the final whistle.
ET30+1: Amdouni is on hand to head the ball away from Bellingham as Shaw crosses into the Swiss penalty area from the left.
ET29: Just on as a sub, Zeki Amdouni brings a smart save out of Pickford at his near post with a good strike. England are on the ropes but could be saved by the bell. There’s one minute to go.
ET27: Spotting Pickford a couple of feet off his line, Shaqiri tries to score directly from the corner. He whips the ball viciously from the quadrant and with Pickford scrambling back desperately, it hits the angle of upright and crossbar.
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ET26: Bellingham runs into traffic on the edge of the Swiss penalty area. Switzerland break upfield and win a corner after excellent work by Shaqiri and Vidmer.
ET24: England substitution: Trent Alexander-Arnold comes on for Phil Foden.
ET21: Eze is forced to clear after the ball was played Vidmer’s way on the edge of the six-yard box.
ET20: Xherdan Shaqiri is on for Switzerland. Breel Embolo makes way.
ET19: Trying desperatly hard to keep the ball in play out by the touchline, Harry Kane gets a little nudge from Akanji, skitters off the pitch, flattens Gareth Southgate and ends up on the floor by the England bench. It’s an unorthodox way of leaving the pitch but that’s where he’ll stay – he’s replaced by Ivan Toney.
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ET17: Rodriguez gets the ball out wide near the corner flag after good work by Freuler but is unable to get a cross in. England win the ball back.
ET16: There’s a brief break in play following an accidental clash of heads between the two captains, Kane and Xhaka, as they contested a high ball.
ET16: Phil Foden gets the ball rolling after a fairly quick changeover. Granit Xhaka did the talking in the Swiss huddle, while Gareth Southgater channeled his inner Winston Churchill as Engladn’s players gathered around him.
ET15: Luke Shaw tries to pick out Eberech Eze with a lofted pass forward. Schar intercepts and heads the ball back to Sommer. It’s half-time in extra time.
ET13: Xhaka plays the ball forward to Zuber, who is unable to turn with Saka breathing down his neck. He fouls the English goalscorer as he tries to wriggle past him.
ET11: From the edge of the Swiss penalty area, Bellingham has a shot blocked by Xhaka. The ball drops at his feet and he tries to curl it past Sommer, but the Swiss goalie catches it.
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ET9: Denis Zakaria is on for Dan Ndoye to give Switzerland more solidity in the middle. Already on a yellow card and a subsequent verbal warning, Fabian Schar fouls Ebereche Eze and is told in no uncertain terms by the Italian referee that if he commits one more foul like that he’ll be sent off.
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ET8: There’s a mini-scare for England as Kyle Walker almost gets caught in possession but Jordan Pickford rushes out to help spare his blushes.
ET7: Since his introduction, Cole Palmer is causing Switzerland all sorts of problems wide on the left. He looks dangerous every time he gets on the ball.
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ET6: A Rodriguez headed clearance from an Eze cross sits up nicely for Declan Rice. His dipping effort from outside the box looks to be on target and Sommer dives to his left to turn the ball around the post. Nothing comes of the corner.
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ET4: Walker plays the ball wide to Saka on the right touchline, an area in whic he has been dangerous throughout. On this occasion, he plays it back inside.
ET2: Schar hopelessly miscues while trying to send another cross towards the far post. The ball sails high and wide and the Swiss defender raises a hand by way of apology to his teammates.
Extra time: England 1-1 Switzerland
ET1: Switzerland kick off. There are no more changes in personnel on either side. If the scores stay level, expect Ivan Toney to come on at some point in the final couple of minutes so he can take part in the penalty shootout.
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Full time: England 1-1 Switzerland
It’s all square at the end of regulation time after Bukayo Sako cancelled out Breel Embolo’s second-half opener with just six minutes left on the clock.
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90+2 min: In acres of space on the right, Fabian Schar sends an excellent cross to the far post. Between them, Embolo and Ndoye somehow contrive not to score – the former failing to get his head to it and the latter unable to sort his feet out and fire home. We’ll have extra time.
90 min: Switzerland break upfield with Zuber and Ndoye combining. The counter-attack comes to nothing. We’ll have three minutes of added time, then an extra half-hour if required.
88 min: Ebereche Eze pulls a low shot well wide after a decoy run to the byline from Shaw opened up space for him. Foden admonishes the substitute for not passing to him instead but he had every right to try his luck.
87 min: From the right side of the Swiss six-yard box, Saka tries to dink the ball towards Kane but wildly overhits his cross.
84 min: The Swiss attack down the left and the ball’s crossed towards Embolo at the far post. Luke Shaw leaps to head clear. Cole Palmer tries to break upfield but Silvan Widmer puts an illegal stop to his gallop. Yellow card.
82 min: Playing with an entirely new left side, England score with a move that went down their right. Saka’s shot bounced and hit the post on it’s way in but it was an excellent strike.
GOAL! England 1-1 Switzerland (Saka 80)
England equalise! Bukayo Saka equalises with the most Bukayo Saka goal imaginable. He’s cut in from the right and curled the ball past Sommer. It goes in off the far post.
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80 min: England changes: Luke Shaw, Cole Palmer and Ebereche Eze on for Trippier, Mainoo and Konsa.
76 min: That goal was coming and if England go on to lose this game, Southgate will be hammered for not reacting to his opposite number’s changes more quickly.
A good move featuring the substitutes Zuber and Vidmer ended with Ndoye sending a low cross from the right to the far post. The ball took a little deflection off John Stones, Embolo got in front of Walker and prodded home from a couple of yards out.
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GOAL! England 0-1 Switzerland (Embolo 75)
Switzerland are ahead! Embolo gets in front of Kyle Walker to stab home a cross from the right at the far post from close range.
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71 min: “So, according to Matthew Hobbs, the only good thing that can be said of England today is that we’ve successfully negated the opposition’s qualities?” asks Martin Crookhall. Well, I suppose it’s a start, although Switzerland are definitely in the ascendency at the moment.
70 min: Ndoye gets on the ball again, having switched to the left following the introduction of Vidmer. Foden relieves him of possession and wins England a throw-in.
68 min: While he doesn’t seem to be spending much time in the Switzerland penalty area, Kane pops up in his own to dispossess Ndoye as the Swiss winger was trying to dig the ball out from under his feet and get a shot off.
68 min: Kane tussles with Akanji, who goes to ground holding his face. The England captain is booked for his troubles and it seems fairly harsh.
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66 min: A Konsa headed clearance drops nicely for Aebischer, whose volley whistles over the bar. It wasn’t too far away.
64 min: Switzerland double-substitution: Silvan Widmer and Steven Zuber on for Vargas and Rieder.
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62 min: Kane is fouled by Riebischer as England threaten to break upfield after the Swiss wing-back had sold a teammate short with an underhit pass. Mainoo had intercepted, sprinted forward and played the ball to Kane’s feet.
62 min: Vargas tries to pick out Embolo with a cross from the right but Kyle Walker intervenes and clears. England are under a bit of pressure.
61 min: With Switzerland players crowding the far post, Rider sends the ball to the near one. Rice puts it out for a throw-in.
60 min: From that corner, they win another.
59 min: Ndoye and Rieder combine down the right and almost get in behind the England defence. They have to settle for a corner.
57 min: Breel Embolo leaps to try to head a cross from the left goalwards but Konsa is stuck to him like glue. The header is extremely weak and Pickford saves comfortably. Excellent defending from the Aston Villa man, who hasn’t put a foot wrong.
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56 min: Referee Daniele Orsato awards Switzerland an uncontested drop ball after accidentally intercepting a pass upfield through the centre.
55 min: “I think one point that’s worth really emphasising from the first half is that England have stopped Switzerland from doing everything they did so well against Italy,” writes Matthew Hobbs.
”Murat Yakin’s men spent almost the entirety of that game in the Italian half, and on the front foot - England have denied them both. They’ve also minimised Xhaka’s influence so far, which given the way Lobotka ran the game for Slovakia in the last 16 is also of some significance. Collectively, I’d say England have improved against a side who are unbeaten since reverting to a back three in March.”
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50 min: A weak Embolo shot on the turn from Embolo fails to trouble Pickford. He whacks knees with Konsa as he turns and the England defender goes down hurt. It doesn’t look serious.
48 min: Trippier leaps to keep an overhit crossfield pass from Walker in play but can only send the ball in the direction of Sommer from the touchline.
47 min: Bellingham advances up the inside left, drives into the Swiss penalty area and slides the ball inside with the outside of his right boot. It clips the heel of Akanji.
Second half: England 0-0 Switzerland
46 min: The game restarts, with no changes in personnel on either side.
Some Billy Balance. “Here in Germany, the commentators are nowhere near as negative as you about the England performance in the first half,” writes Joel in Berlin. “If you don’t start with the assumption that England should blow them off the park, I would say it hasn’t been bad. Very frustrating at times and lacking a killer punch for sure, but they’re definitely on top so I would say your use of the word ‘atrocious’ is a tad dramatic, no?”
I couldn’t disagree more, Joel. What adjective do you thinks best describes a scenario in which an England corner goes all the way back to Jordan Pickford without anyone in a red shirt getting within 20 yards of it?
An email: “This half-time discussion on the BBC praising England’s wonderful performance reminds me of Sunak predicting he was going to win the election,” writes Showbiz Guru. “Not a single shot on goal, sloppy errors, endless tippy-tappy in the midfield and both an England corner kick and free kick going all the way back to Pickford without a Swiss player touching the ball. I’d like whatever the panel are on please.”
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An email: It’s not just me, then. “This is a moderate improvement on last week, no more,” writes Tom. “The BBC pundits are talking like they’ve morphed into 2012 Spain. It’s embarrassing.”
Half-time analysis: In the BBC studio, Gary Lineker, Rio Ferdinand, Micah Richards and Frank Lampard are drooling over what they’ve just seen from England. It beggars belief.
Phil Foden, who has done nothing, is being whispered of in tones that can only be described as reverential. It’s utter cobblers and a cynic could be forgiven for thinking Gary and chums have been issued with a diktat to be less critical of Our Brave Boys.
Half-time: England 0-0 Switzerland
Peep! It’s been better from England but the bar is exceptionally low. They’ve dominated this game but created little in the way of chances. The deadlock remains resolutely unbroken.
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45 min: Saka is fed the ball out on the right again, gets around Aebischer and pulls the ball back to Mainoo. Xhaka dives in to prevent him getting his shot away from the six-yard box.
It’s a corner for England and Tippier floats the ball straight into the waiting arms of Yann Sommer. I’m not sure if Southgate was paying any attention to Arsenal last season, but Declan Rice is much better at taking corners than Trippier.
44 min: Saka has a shot from distance blocked on the edge of the Switzerland penalty area. I think it was Ruben Vargas who got in the way of his low effort.
40 min: Pickford boots the ball long again. Kane is unable to win it again. Switzerland take possession again. This is grim but I suppose the one plus point for England is that Switzerland aren’t pulling up too many trees when they’re in possession either. Southgate’s men have successfully dragged their opponents down to their level.
38 min: Foden gives the ball away cheaply in midfield and Switzerland advance upfield with Embolo in possession. The attack breaks down.
36 min: Bellingham gets the ball wide to Saka again and is on hand again to dummy when the ball bounces his way near the edge of the six-yard box.
34 min: Akanji picks out Schar with a good ball out wide to the right touchline but he’s unable to get a decent cross into the England box. Under pressure from Trippier, he slices the ball high and wide.
33 min: Fabian Schar is booked for a foul on Jude Bellingham. England have a free-kick near the halfway line and play the ball back to Pickford again. What are they at?
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31 min: Mainoo intervenes on the edge of the England penalty area to break up a Switzerland attack, taking the ball off the feet of Embolo. He boots the ball upfield and Akanji rolls it back to Yann Sommer.
30 min: Bellingham wins a corner for England. Trippier plays it short to Saka and within three seconds, the ball is back at the feet of Jordan Pickford. That is atrocious.
27 min: England play the ball from side to side, over and back across the pitch. Saka eventually gets another cross into the Switzerland penalty area but there’s nobody in a white shirt there to meet it.
25 min: Ricardo Rodriguez tries to play Embolo in behind with a nicely weighted pass but Konsa is wise to his caper. He is unable to prevent Embolo taking possession off the ball but does block his weak shot on goal.
23 min: Embolo gets penalised for a foul on Bellingham and gets a ticking-off from the referee. It’s a free-kick for England and an opportunity to get the ball into the Switzerland box, but Phil Foden overhits his delivery.
21 min: Saka beats his man and sends a cross into the six-yard box, where there’s no sign of his captain, Harry Kane. It’s turned behind for a corner, from which nothing comes.
21 min: The BBC commentator has just likened this match to a game of chess. Translation: it’s pretty boring.
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20 min: Jude Bellingham advances upfield and plays the ball wide to Saka in a good position. While he wonders what to do next, Ruben Vargas robs him off possession.
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17 min: Mainoo drives into the Swiss penalty area with the ball at his feet but a heavy touch results in the ball rolling to the feet of Sommer before the England midfielder can get a shot off. The Swiss goalkeeper picks it up and the danger is averted.
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16 min: Kane tees up Mainoo for a shot from outside the area after good work by Rice, who intercepted the ball as Switzerland tried to play it out from the back. His effort is blocked.
15 min: Saka crosses into the Swiss penalty area, Kane heads the ball away from goal towards Rice and his shot from just outside the box is blocked. It’s pretty even so far.
12 min: England play the ball out to Kieran Trippier in the left-back position, he canters upfield and cuts inside, as is his wont as a right-footer. Switzerland force him backwards.
11 min: Breel Embolo tries to ferret his way through the right side of the England penalty area, squeezing between John Stones and Declan Rice. His progress is impaired by the latter and the ball squirts wide for a goal kick.
10 min: Switzerland attack down the left and this time it’s Ezri Konsa who is called upon to clear the ball into an England penalty area well populated by red shirts.
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8 min: Dan Ndoye drills a low ball into the England penalty area from the right after skipping past Kieran Trippier as if the England full-back wasn’t there. Kobbie Mainoo hacks it clear before it can reach the feet of Aebischer or Breel Embolo.
7 min: Saka lays the ball off to Walker, who whips a cross into the Swiss penalty area. It’s cleared and the flag goes up for offside.
5 min: Despite all the pre-match chat about three at the back, England appear to have lined up with a back four. Kieran Trippier is on the left and Bukayo Saka is on the right.
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3 min: Playing in red shirts, shorts and socks, Switzerland concede a throw-in near the halfway line as Michel Aebischer misjudges the speed of a crossfield pass from Dan Ndoye. The players of England are in white shirts, navy shorts and white socks.
2 min: Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer gets his first touch of the game, fielding a backpass from Manuel Akanji.
England v Switzerland is go ...
1 min: Harry Kane won the coin-toss and elected to kick-off and it’s Jude Bellingham who gets the ball rolling for England. It rolls all the way back to Jordan Pickford, who launches it upfield. There’ll be a throw-in for Switzerland, deep inside their own half.
Not long now: Both sets of players march out on to the Dusseldorf Arena pitch, led by Italian referee Daniele Orsata and his assistants. On the touchline, managers Murat Yakin and Gareth Southgate exchange a warm embrace and a few words just before the national anthems.
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Gary Lineker: On BBC’s coverage, the former England striker says that, in the system England are trying to play today, Harry Kane “is duty bound to stay as high up the pitch as he can”.
An email: “If the respective flags are any indication, these two sides will basically cancel each other out,” writes Peter Oh. “Fast-forward to penalty kicks!”
England: “Gareth Southgate’s side found success going wide against Slovakia and it can be a blueprint in their hunt for a semi-final berth,” writes Karen Carney.
Today's match officials
Referee: Daniele Orsato
Referee’s assistants: Ciro Carbone and Alessandro Giallatini
Fourth official: Daniel Siebert
Video assistant referee: Massimiliano Irrati
Switzerland: “A sleek, confident team have been remoulded firmly in Granit Xhaka’s image,” writes Nick Ames in Hamburg, who says there would be an extra piquancy in him masterminding victory in a match where he will go toe-to-toe with Declan Rice, the £105m man who replaced him in Arsenal’s midfield.
"He's picked Trippier over Trent Alexander-Arnold; which I just cannot fathom, at all." 😳@Carra23 cannot understand why Southgate continues to place his trust in Trippier as opposed to the Liverpool player 😬 pic.twitter.com/oR9k4CThIT
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) July 6, 2024
Those teams: Gareth Southgate makes one change, bringing in Ezri Konsa for the suspended Marc Guehi. Murtat Yakin sticks with the same 11 players who started against Italy, which means Silvan Widmar has to settle for a place on the bench upon his return from the Uefa Naughty Step.
Gareth Southgate: Today marks the England manager’s 100th match in charge of his country. If his side fails to win, it will almost certainly be his last.
England: He created an environment in which players could flourish yet Gareth Southgate has become a lightning rod for rage, writes Barney Ronay.
England v Switzerland line-ups
England (3-4-2-1): Pickford, Walker, Stones, Konsa, Trippier, Mainoo, Rice, Saka, Bellingham, Foden, Kane.
Subs: Shaw, Alexander-Arnold, Ramsdale, Dunk, Gallagher, Toney, Gordon, Watkins, Bowen, Eze, Gomez, Henderson, Palmer, Wharton.
Switzerland (3-4-3): Sommer, Schar, Akanji, Rodriguez, Ndoye, Freuler, Xhaka, Aebischer, Rieder, Vargas, Embolo.
Subs: Stergiou, Widmer, Elvedi, Zakaria, Okafor, Steffen, Mvogo, Zuber, Zesiger, Sierro, Duah, Kobel, Shaqiri, Jashari, Amdouni.
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Ezri Konsa starts for England
England have made one change to the team that started against Slovenia and it ought to go without saying that it is enforced. Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa makes his sixth appearance for his country, coming in for Marc Guehi, who is suspended.
England: Performances in Germany have been laboured but Gareth Southgate’s side must break the shackles and try to enjoy themselves if they are to overcome Switzerland, writes Jacob Steinberg.
Early team news: With Marc Guehi suspended, the word on the word on the straße around England’s training camp is that Gareth Southgate plans to play three at the back, with Ezri Konsa likely to come in alongside Kyle Walker and John Stones in the heart of defence. Despite such a system being ideally suited to Trent Alexander-Arnold, the Liverpool defender is not expected to start and Kieran Trippier and Bukayo Saka will line up as wing-backs.
Despite being back in full training, Luke Shaw is not expected to start, as he has not played in a football match since going off injured against Luton Town while playing for Manchester United almost five months ago.
Switzerland boss Murat Yakin is believed to have a full squad to choose from despite concerns that Granit Xhaka, his side’s stand-out player of the tournament, might miss out with an adductor injury.
With Silvan Widmer available again after missing the win over Italy through suspension, Yakin must decide whether to recall him to his line-up or stick with Dan Ndoye, who excelled in the Mainz right-back’s absence. In the event of both players starting, Fabian Rieder will probably make way.
Preamble
They go again. Despite flattering to deceive for four consecutive games in this tournament, England are still in Euro 2024 and will be hoping today is the day their players can finally hit something resembling their stride and deliver a performance at least befitting their status as quarter-finalists, if not pre-tournament second favourites.
In Switzerland they face a side that have thus far proved greater than the sum of their parts and showed just how impressive they can be when seeing off Italy with a minimum of fuss last time out. Murat Yakin’s side are expected to pose England no end of problems in this battle to reach the semi-finals. Kick-off at the Dusseldorf Arena is at 5pm (BST) but we’ll have team news and build-up in the meantime.
