England vs Switzerland Player Ratings: Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer Shine, Arnold Impresses
England have done it once again, somehow. The Three Lions have managed to get a place in the Euro 2024 semifinal after beating Switzerland via a penalty shootout.
Breele Embolo out the Swiss side ahead in the 75 minutes in what was a subpar game so far. He made the most of Ohn Stone’s weak effort to block the ball and slotted in from yards out.
The game finally kicked into gears and England were on the attack, finally. Bukayo Saka made it 1-1 just 5 minutes later and forced the game into extra time.
The extra 30 minutes could not change the scoreline and the referee blew for a penalty shootout. Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Ivan Toney and Trent Alexander-Arnold scored past Yann Sommer for England.
Jordan Pickford made himself the hero by saving Manuel Akanji’s penalty but was beaten by Fabian Schar, Xherdan Shaqiri and Zeki Amdouni.
England National Football Team Player Ratings vs Switzerland
GOALKEEPER
Jordan Pickford – 7: Made decent saves in extra time but was almost caught out by Shaqiri from a corner towards the very end. Became a national hero by saving Manuel Akanji’s penalty in the shootout.
DEFENDERS
Kyle Walker – 6: Neither here nor there. Was good defensively, but never managed to do well in attack.
John Stones – 6.5: Had a decent game but should have done a lot better for the goal they conceded. A stronger foot on the ball and it was out for a corner, but a weak effort saw Embolo tap it in.
Ezri Konsa – 7: Not a bad game for his first start in the tournament. Hardly put a foot wrong and was about to win all but of his duels.
MIDFIELDERS
Bukayo Saka – 8.5: Seems to be the only England player from the starting XI who is interested in attacking. Got the goal with a superb strike to force extra time and then took his penalty in the shootout well.
Kobbie Mainoo – 7.5: England’s best player until he was taken off. He was always ready to drive forward and misplaced just one pass.
Declan Rice – 7.5: Got the assist for England’s goal and came close to scoring himself in extra time. But apart from that, he was more involved in keeping possession, than pushing forward.
Kieran Trippier – 5: How has he played all the matches for England so far? Yet another poor performance as he was nowhere when needed.
Phil Foden – 7: Was getting the ball a lot, but was unable to do anything useful with it. Tried his best to cross into the box., but only found his teammate once.
Jude Bellingham – 7: Not his best game, nor his worst either. He was just not able to link-up with Harry Kane and others in the England attack today. Calmu slotted his penalty in the shootout.
FORWARD
Harry Kane – 5: Yet another poor game for the English forward. Managed two shots, both not troubling the goalkeeper, and was eventually taken off deep into extra time.
SUBSTITUTES
Luke Shaw – 6.5
Eberechi Eze – 6.5
Cole Palmer – 7
Ivan Toney – 6
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6
MANAGER
Gareth Southgate – 5
Switzerland National Football Team Player Ratings vs England
GOALKEEPER
Yann Sommer – 7: Decent 120 minutes, but failed to save any of the penalties in the shootout.
DEFENDERS
Fabian Schär – 8: Apart from his shot in the extra time, it was a really good game from the defender.
Manuel Akanji – 7: Excellent in the 120 minutes, but his penalty in the shootout was tame and easily saved by Jordan Pickford.
Ricardo Rodríguez – 7: Spent most of his time in attack than defense today but just could not get the help from his forward. Was delivering some good crosses, but none were converted.
MIDFIELDERS
Dan Ndoye – 6.5: Just not what Switzerland wanted today. He was trying hard to get into the final third and attack, but managed just one shot and that too was off target.
Remo Freuler – 7: Spent most of the game chasing the ball and was just unable to get into the groove today. Managed to keep Rice and Mainoo in check, but just not enough.
Granit Xhaka – 7.5: The best Swiss player in the midfield today. Was ready to go in and cause trouble to the England forward, while also being ready to take risks while attacking.
Michel Aebischer – 6.5: Not his best game but has become a player who has caught eyeballs. Always on the run and was getting into good positions often.
FORWARDS
Fabian Rieder – 6.5: Could not do much in attack and that made it hard for his teammates. He was unable to help out much in defense too and was hooked off after the hour mark.
Ruben Vargas – 6: Just not able to do enough today despite his best efforts. Could not get a single shot away and managed just 13 passes in 64 minutes.
Breel Embolo – 8: Relentless effort from the Swiss forward who never gave up. He was held by Walker, but still threw himself and got the touch to nudge the ball in.
SUBSTITUTES
Silvan Widmer – 7
Steven Zuber – 6
Denis Zakaria – 6
Xherdan Shaqiri – 7.5
Vincent Sierro – 6
Zeki Amdouni – 6
MANAGER
Murat Yakin – 6
Also Read: England vs Switzerland Highlights: England eliminate Switzerland from Euro 2024