England, led by Bukayo Saka in penalties, survives again at Euros

Bukayo Saka equalized in the 80th minute, then converted his penalty kick during a shootout to propel England back to the Euro semifinals. The young winger helped England top the Swiss 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Düsseldorf, Germany.

“That’s tournament football for you. You have to find a way,” England forward Harry Kane told the BBC after the game. “When you look at past champions in competitions, they have to go through penalty shootouts. It comes down to moments.”

The British sports world seemingly stopped for England’s moment.

Spectators at Wimbledon interrupted a tennis match between Novak Djokovic and Alexei Popyrin to cheer England’s victory. British Formula One teammates Lewis Hamilton and George Russell appeared to enjoy the result with fans after qualifying at Silverstone, their home track.

England struggled to break down a well-organized Swiss defense in the early going. As the game progressed toward the end of regulation, Switzerland’s offensive pressure mounted. The Swiss went ahead in the 75th minute when forward Breel Embolo wrestled his way in front of defender Kyle Walker to stab a cross into the back of the net.

England fell behind Slovakia in the 25th minute of their round of 16 contest Sunday. It mounted an improbable comeback after the 90th minute, sparked by Jude Bellingham, who netted a stunning bicycle kick to equalize in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Kane won it with a goal in extra time.

Following Switzerland’s go-ahead score Saturday, England countered with three substitutes that gave it a more attacking posture. The adjustment paid off about five minutes later.

Saka, England’s most threatening player in Saturday’s match, cut inside and curled a shot past Yann Sommer in the 80th minute for his first goal of the competition.

Both sides appeared resigned for penalty kicks through a sleepy extra period. Early in the shootout, English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford helped England seal a more fortuitous fate.

Chelsea star Cole Palmer converted the first penalty for England, then Pickford saved the first Swiss shot, taken by defender Manuel Akanji. Bellingham, Ivan Toney and Trent Alexander-Arnold slotted three of the next four penalties to secure England’s passage to the semifinals. Saka made the other, providing a moment of elation for a player whose miss during a penalty shootout in the Euro 2020 final partly cost England the continental title and led to a torrent of racist online attacks.

England, a country whose talent and pedigree have outweighed its success in major tournaments, has never won the men’s European championship.

It followed the disappointing loss to Italy in the 2021 final with lackluster showings in this year’s competition. The Three Lions topped Group C with a win over Serbia and draws against Denmark and Slovenia, but the comeback win over Slovakia to start the knockout stage showed a new spark of energy.

England now awaits the Netherlands, which beat Turkey later Saturday. Their semifinal is set for Wednesday in Dortmund. A day before, Spain will face France in the other semifinal in Munich.

“I think penalty shootouts are the highest pressure you will feel as a professional footballer,” Kane said. “But for [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.”