England manager Gareth Southgate said “if I can’t enjoy this moment then it’s a waste of time” after his side reached the Euro 2024 semi-finals by beating Switzerland 5-3 on penalties.
The Three Lions’ moment of jubilation was made even sweeter for Southgate as he celebrated with supporters following the recent “difficult personal” criticism he has faced in Germany.
“Every now and then surely there has to be some enjoyment in this job,” said the England manager. “I love the players and sharing that moment with them.
“I can’t deny when things get as personal as it has it does hurt. I don’t think it is normal to have beer thrown at you. But we are in a third semi-final in four tournaments. We will keep grinding, keep fighting and keep enjoying this journey.”
England fell behind after 75 minutes, but Bukayo Saka levelled five minutes later to force extra time before victory in the penalty shootout.
Southgate told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I took this job to try and improve English football, to give us nights like this.
“We continue to give people fantastic memories.
“Now we want to deliver one more thing – we have never been to a final outside England, never won a Euros, so there are two bits of history we would love to create,” he said.
Southgate also expressed frustration as his switch to a three-man defence being revealed in the media three days before the game, describing it as “quite incredible”.
“A lot of our processes have been shared,” Southgate said. “We live in an amazing world where it is so difficult for us because any element of surprise you might have is gone three days before the game. It’s quite incredible really.”