England find themselves just two victories away from claiming their first major championship since the 1966 World Cup. However, their path through the knockout stages has been far from smooth for the Three Lions. After a dramatic injury-time comeback and extra-time triumph over Slovakia, Gareth Southgate’s squad rallied from a goal down against Switzerland, eventually prevailing in a penalty shootout. Luke Shaw has disclosed that despite not taking a penalty, Declan Rice played a pivotal role in securing the shootout victory.
Speaking on The Lions’ Den, Shaw discussed the composed atmosphere during the shootout, noting, “I was next to him [Trent Alexander-Arnold] the whole time and I was really confident, he seemed really relaxed, calm like we said we have our routines anyway and we practice them a lot so everyone knew what they were doing.”
“It was very calculated and we all knew what was going to happen so when he stepped up I had full faith in him and I knew he was going to score.”
Shaw also praised Rice for his leadership in keeping the team composed, stating, “Declan [Rice] was our speaker, he was calming everyone down and telling them to do their breathing techniques and manifest them. It was needed.”
Throughout the tournament, England has struggled with consistency, falling short of fan expectations as one of the favorites to lift the trophy at Berlin’s Olympiastadion. Shaw’s absence due to injury as Southgate’s sole natural left-back exacerbated tactical challenges. Nevertheless, with Shaw’s return imminent, Southgate and England supporters hope for a cohesive team effort in pursuit of the championship next week.
Next, England faces the Netherlands at Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park on July 10 in the Euro semi-finals, aiming to secure a berth in the final against either France or Spain.