Gary Neville was on punditry duty for ITV as England squeezed past Switzerland in the Euro 2024 quarter-final.
Scenes from the studio while the action unfolds on the pitch typically remain unseen, but the broadcaster has shared the tense shootout moments — and the pundit’s reaction before and after Trent Alexander-Arnold’s penalty speaks volumes.
The pressure was all on Alexander-Arnold, who had only been introduced by Gareth Southgate as a late substitute in extra time. Handed the fifth penalty, it proved to be the decisive one: score, and England would progress to the semi-finals.
Despite having hardly kicked the ball all evening, the Liverpool vice-captain converted emphatically, powering the ball away to the left.
The response from Neville and his fellow pundits mirrored living rooms all around the country, and said a lot about just how impressive the penalty really was.
“Who’s on the winning penalty,” pondered Neville, frantically running through the list of possible takers like just about everybody else. “Eze? Trent?
“Oh, Trent, please, I am absolutely praying for you,” he remarked, as it became clear it would be Alexander-Arnold to step up. “Honestly I am. He’s had a difficult tournament though.”
Joleon Lescott interjected, insisting it would not be the end of the world if Alexander-Arnold missed. Neville concurred, but said it would be a “great moment” if the Liverpool man found the net after facing criticism.
That summed up the sheer amount of narrative that had settled on Alexander-Arnold’s shoulders.
Southgate has effectively made him the scapegoat this tournament, and it was in everybody’s minds as he stepped up — a miss would have played into all the negativity, confirming in the minds of many the wayward belief that he has been the problem in this England side.
And it wasn’t just Neville who was praying. Even for someone as assured as the Liverpool man, the pressure was almost unbearable, turned up another notch by the need to prove the doubters wrong.
But the former Manchester United right-back was soon elated. He and the rest of the studio screamed in delight, relief etched on all of their faces.
“Never in doubt,” said Lescott, with a little smile on his face. But Neville had certainly had his doubts.
It speaks volumes that Alexander-Arnold coped with all that pressure so expertly. Neville was safe in the studio and was almost going to pieces, but the man who mattered kept his cool, showing the whole country what Liverpool already knew: he’s the real deal.
