Gareth Southgate was like a proud father when speaking about Bukayo Saka after England reached the semi-finals of Euro 2024 on Saturday night.
The Arsenal star was crucial to the Three Lions’ win over Switzerland in Düsseldorf, cancelling out Breel Embolo’s goal in the second half before converting from the spot in the penalty shootout.
England converted all five of their attempts from twelve yards out, while Jordan Pickford denied Manuel Akanji to see the team progress to the last four for a second successive Euros.
Southgate now holds the distinction of being the only Englishman to be involved in three semi-finals at a European Championship, having been a player in 1996, where he missed in the shootout defeat to Germany, and manager in 2021 and this summer.
