Jude Bellingham has acknowledged Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s contribution to England’s confident penalty shootout display against Switzerland.
The Three Lions do not boast an impressive track record in penalty shootouts at major tournaments.
Records have it that they have been knocked out on seven occasions in the past after losing tie-breakers.
As a matter of fact, the most recent instance was the Euro 2020 final heartbreak against Italy.
However, the team managed to progress in their Euro 2024 quarter-final clash against Switzerland.
Basically, this was because all five English penalty takers found the back of the net making sure the team reached the last-four stage.
Bellingham was one of the five penalty heroes for England.
He credited Gareth Southgate’s assistant and former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink for boosting the players’ confidence.
The Real Madrid star admitted he had haunting memories of the Three Lions’ past failures in shootouts but the Dutch coach’s words helped them to prevail.
Memories
Speaking to BBC Radio, the 21-year-old said: “It’s a first for me to be involved in one, to take one.
“I have awful memories kind of growing up.
“I think the first Euro that I was really interested in was the one against Italy [Euro 2012] with the dink from [Andrea] Pirlo.
“It kind of stains your memory a little bit, you always think: ‘England in penalty shoot-outs, I’m not sure,’ but it’s really nice to have that experience to add to the locker now.
“I was really confident in my preparation.
Confident in the things I talked through with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, he’s stepped up for us massively.”
“It’s the work that he does behind closed doors, with the lads being willing to take on that information, that put us in those situations in order to be able to win.”
Massive Win
He added: “So this is a massive team effort.
“Another thing is [goalkeepers] Dean Henderson, Aaron Ramsdale, Tom Heaton, who have been with us this camp, they’ve been huge in helping us practise the penalties.
“Again, they won’t get the credit they deserve but essentially, if they don’t put in the right effort, you don’t have the right practice to go out and execute.
“So many people are involved in this win. It’s a massive team win.”
Read more: Bayern Munich Signs Michael Olise From Crystal Palace
However, Southgate’s side will aim to qualify for their second European Championship final in a row.
Now, they are all set to take on Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands in a blockbuster semi-final clash in Dortmund.
Oloture 2: The Journey – A Disappointing Sequel? Our Honest Review!
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
SUBSCRIBE TO IBRAND TV ON YOUTUBE FOR MORE GREAT CONTENTS