The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
England tops Switzerland to reach Euro semis
Add another chapter to England’s tortuous history with penalty shootouts.
Three years after losing the European Championship final on penalties, England’s players radiated confidence as they beat Switzerland in a shootout Saturday in Duesseldorf, Germany, to reach the semifinals of Euro 2024. Trent Alexander-Arnold blasted the ball into the top corner for the winner as England swept all of its penalties to win the shootout 5-3 after a 1-1 draw in extra time on Saturday.
“The team showed a lot of character, a lot of belief, heart and spirit,” Alexander-Arnold told the BBC.
Benched following England’s first two Euro 2024 games, Alexander-Arnold “could have easily thought his tournament was done,” England manager Gareth Southgate said. “I kept talking to him. He’s going to have moments, there’s still a big part to play.”
Bukayo Saka, whose penalty kick was saved to decide the final shootout in 2021, and who was racially abused on social media in the aftermath, also stepped up to score. The 22-year-old had also equalized earlier to ensure the game went to extra time. The other shootout scorers were Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, and Ivan Toney, who returned in January from an eightmonth ban for breaching betting rules.
Southgate’s own England career was defined by a semifinal shootout miss against Germany when England hosted the 1996 European Championship. When he became manager in 2016, England hadn’t won a shootout in 20 years. It’s won three of four shootouts in Southgate’s eight-year tenure as manager, but lost the most important one in the 2021 final.
England goes on to play Netherlands in Dortmund on Wednesday for a spot in the final. Spain faces France in the first semifinal on Tuesday.
Switzerland, which has never reached the semifinals of a major tournament, exits the European Championship on penalties in the quarterfinals for the second time running, after a loss to Spain three years ago.
Netherlands 2, Turkey 1: The Netherlands came from behind Saturday in Berlin to book a place in the semifinals. An own goal from Mert Muldur in the 76th minute, only six after Stefan De Vrij canceled Samet Akaydin’s first-half header for Turkey, was enough for the Dutch in the last of the quarterfinals.
Turkey was without defender Merih Demiral, who was suspended for two matches by UEFA for making a nationalistic hand gesture after scoring in Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Austria. The gesture is used by Turkish nationalists and associated with an ultra-nationalist group. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was at the game after he changed his plans because of a diplomatic row with Germany over Demiral’s gesture.
Copa America
Colombia 5, Panama 0: Jhon Córdoba, James Rodríguez and Luis Díaz scored goals during a dominant first half to spark Colombia to a win over Panama in the quarterfinals Saturday in Glendale, Ariz.
Colombia — which came into Saturday on a 26-match unbeaten streak — wasted little time on No. 27 when Córdoba’s well-placed header in the eighth minute found the bottom corner of the net following a corner kick from Rodríguez. Los Cafeteros pushed ahead 2-0 less than 10 minutes later on Rodríguez’s powerful penalty kick. Colombia made it 3-0 in the 41st minute on a goal by Díaz.
Colombia scored its fourth goal in the 70th minute when Richard Ríos blasted a long right-footed shot. The final goal came in stoppage time when Miguel Borja converted a penalty kick.
Colombia will play a semifinals Wednesday in Charlotte, North Carolina, against Uruguay.
Panama’s unexpected run to the quarterfinals included a 2-1 win over the United States during group play.
Uruguay 4, Brazil 2: Marcelo Bielsa knew what the world’s reaction would be after Uruguay and Brazil grinded, scrapped and shoved their way through a Copa America quarterfinal with 41 fouls, four shots on target and no goals in open play. Bielsa knows the beautiful game wasn’t so attractive Saturday night, but the famously inventive coach now running Uruguay’s bench only cared about the celebrations back home and in the Las Vegas stands when La Celeste picked up a landmark win.
Manuel Ugarte scored the decisive goal in the fifth round of the shootout and Uruguay advanced after the teams played to a scoreless draw. Uruguay and Brazil played a bruising, choppy match with plenty of rough stuff, but little of the impressive soccer for which both South American powerhouses are known. Uruguay’s Nahitan Nández was sent off after a red card in the 74th minute for a dangerous tackle on Rodrygo, but Brazil still couldn’t break through its 10-man opponent in the ensuing 21 minutes.
“I (prefer) offensive football, but in this match, we created more opportunities and we defended well,” Bielsa said through an interpreter. “We did the things necessary to succeed.”