© Pool via REUTERS
First missed goal of EURO 2020, the first time finding themselves in the role of the underdog and a historic achievement: after defeating Denmark in extra time, England reached the finals of the European Championships for the first time ever. In the penalty shootout, Italy defeated Spain.
England's national team coach G. Southgate commented after the match: "I am very proud of my players. We knew from the very beginning that this clash would be very different from our meeting with Ukraine. We talked to the players and emphasized to them that they would have to show character and the ability to quickly recover from setbacks on the field: they did that. Now we face Italy - a team that has demonstrated excellent defensive skills in this championship."
When asked what was going through his mind when England conceded the first goal into their net, the coach said: "I was calm because I felt my players were ready for it. In truth, a coach can never be 100% sure how his team will react to such events. But we had discussed it - and they remained calm. I think there are things we need to improve in our game before the final on Sunday, but playing against Denmark, we found a way to win."
