In the quarterfinals of the UEFA Europa League played in the early hours of yesterday morning, England experienced a thrilling penalty shootout and finally beat Switzerland 5-3 to successfully advance to the quarterfinals. After the match, England's Saka and Luke Shaw shared their mentality, feelings and views on their teammates' performance in the penalty shootout in an interview with the official program.
Regarding Arnold's mentality when he took the last penalty, Luke Shaw said that he was always there for Arnold and had confidence in him. He noted that the team has its own approach to penalties and has practiced a lot so everyone knows what they are doing. Rice's speech also played a key role as he helped calm everyone down and taught breathing techniques. When Arnold managed to score, the whole team breathed a sigh of relief and confidence.
Saka, on the other hand, recalled his feelings after the penalty shootout. He got down on his knees and thanked God as he knew the pain of England's last penalty shootout loss. When he saw his teammates running to celebrate, he quickly joined in and shared the memorable moment with the fans. He confessed that the moment he spent with the fans was very special and that he enjoyed it deeply.
Speaking about Pickford's save from Akanji's penalty, Saka spoke highly of it. He felt that Pickford's save was perfectly timed, which greatly boosted the team's morale and made the subsequent penalty taker more relaxed. He also singled out Pickford's quiet passing style on the field as reassuring, and that this tacit understanding was one of the key factors in the team's success.
Luke Shaw, on the other hand, added that Walker was also helping Pickford. He mentioned that Walker pointed in the direction of where Akanji might have taken the penalty during the penalty shootout, and while it was a small gesture, it may have given Pickford extra information that helped him make the right call.
