On July 7, in the European Championship quarter-finals, England and Switzerland fought hard for 120 minutes without a winner. Ultimately, England advanced to the semi-finals by defeating their opponents 5-3 in a penalty shootout. After the match, England manager Gareth Southgate attended a press conference.
On the match
Southgate: I thought we played really well tonight. Switzerland are a tough team to play against. Out of possession, we needed to do our job. Defensively, we need discipline. We had to make changes, to put pressure on the opponents. We knew Saka would make a difference in that area. The game is not just about playing well, sometimes you need to find ways to win, like Spain last night. England is making progress, and I’m very proud of my players.
On the penalty shootout
Southgate: We practiced a lot to prepare for penalty shootouts. Now, in 4 penalty shootouts, we can win 3 of them. In the Euro 2020, we had a painful experience in the penalty shootout. In the end, the players did it, they delivered on the training results. For players like Saka, who had some unpleasant experiences in penalty shootouts, he now passed this huge test of pressure again. Then there is the goalkeeper, his successful save gave us the opportunity.
On Saka
Southgate: He is an ideal person to work with, an amazing boy, highly professional, it’s a lot of fun to be around him. He showed everyone his courage, and we trusted him. Saka did a great job both with and without the ball.
On tactics
Southgate: Our goal is to control the ball, but your opponent won’t let you do that. The team was under huge pressure from the start, but they did a good job. We are not scoring many goals now, but we have reached the semi-finals 3 times in the last 4 major tournaments. But that’s not the end we want.
On Kane
Southgate: He leads the team very well. Guiding young players to grow. When he was knocked out, I thought we needed fresh legs, so I brought in Tony. He is also one of our penalty takers.
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