Gareth Southgate professed his love for his England heroes after watching his players reach the semi-finals of the European Championship.
England celebrated wildly in front of their euphoric fans after winning the thrilling penalty shootout 5-3, after a 1-1 draw after extra time.
“They are such a close-knit group and they are all performing well, they are all fighting for each other,” Southgate said.
“I love the players, I loved being in that moment with them. Different challenges all the way through. With England it was often, 25 minutes of starting really well, leading in games and then going out in the early knockout rounds.
“We weren’t smart, or tournament-wise. This group is different. Overall, we showed the resilience that tournament-winning teams have had for years and years.
Gareth Southgate was full of praise for England after their shoot-out victory over Switzerland
The Three Lions secured a place in the semi-finals of Euro 2024 after victory on Saturday
‘Italy and Spain, it’s not all pure football. We show a bit more of that streetwise nature.
‘This is a young team, many of whom will stay for a long time. Now we want to deliver one more thing.
‘We’ve never played a final outside England, we’ve never won a European Championship. Those are two pieces of history we’d like to write.’
Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka said he has exorcised demons after missing a penalty in the Euro 2020 final.
Saka scored the equalizer in regulation time, scoring from his penalty. He said: ‘I think I appreciate this.’
“You can fail once, but you have a choice whether you put yourself in that position again or not. I’m someone who puts myself in that position. I believed in myself.
‘When I saw the ball end up in the net, I was very happy.
Bukayo Saka was one of the England stars who went to the penalty shootout
He sent Yann Sommer the wrong way with a penalty that ended up in the bottom corner
“I’m not going to focus on the past. That’s happened. I can only focus on the present and on taking a penalty. Of course I know there are a lot of nervous people watching, including my family and in the crowd. But I stayed calm and I scored.”
Of Saka, Southgate added: ‘I gave him a massive hug on the pitch. He’s a special boy, great to work with.
“You’re happy for everyone, but especially for him. It takes courage, but we had faith in him.
“We had confidence in him before. His all-round performance was exceptional. To give us the outlet in the one-on-one situations where we thought it could be an advantage for us. His performance was immense.”
Speaking about his team’s performance, Southgate said: “I thought we played well all night. We had to be so good without the ball. They’re a good team but their shape is a problem. We had to defend with real discipline.
Southgate praised England’s discipline and form during the quarter-final
England’s jubilant stars celebrated victory in front of their supporters in Dusseldorf
“We have shown the patience to keep testing. Then you have to show other qualities. These players show incredible resilience and character.
‘It’s not just about playing well. Dealing with everything around us, coming back twice.
“It’s the best we’ve used the ball. Sometimes we didn’t get enough players in the box because we had to manage their load.
‘You run the risk of losing a bit of form. We wanted to keep that bold approach, when we got the equaliser we knew it was more open, but we wanted to win the game. Both teams ran out of energy, both had chances. The players showed great character and resilience.’