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ENGLAND has already packed his bags for the summer holidays and has clearly left his shooting shoes in suitcases – fortunately Jordan Pickford has brought his gloves.
Gareth Southgate's team missed a host of opportunities in the League's unstoppable match with Switzerland for third place.
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And even when Callum Wilson was coming home from home after Dele Alli hit the crossbar, his goal was lost when referee Ovidiu Hategan was watching the edge of the field.
It was really a case of déjà vu, three days after Jesse Lingard thought to have shot down the Dutch for the same purpose.
And with England unable to break the deadlock in the 120-minute one-way traffic, the penalty was respected.
Just like 12 months ago, the Three Lions won on penalties – and this man, Pickford, was once again the hero, scoring and saving against the Swiss.
GALORE CHANGES
They were irreproachable, scoring six goals before Pickford made the crucial save to secure third place in the first League of Nations.
After missing the main event later tonight, the England boss made seven changes over the team that started against the Netherlands.
This involved Champions League winners Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez, finalists Danny Rose, Eric Dier, Harry Kane and Dele Alli, as well as Jesse Lingard.
And two minutes from the end, Captain Kane was coming back to give England the advantage, but hid his shot at the top of the bar at a sharp angle.
It was a sign of things to come – close but certainly not cigar.
Dele really should have placed the Three Lions in front when he came into the box to meet one of Trent Alexander-Arnold's expert centers on the right.
But the Tottenham man, without a mark, could not keep his head down.
Raheem Sterling at least hit the target when Harry Kane managed to find him free at the last post.
Although his efforts were better controlled, he was comfortably saved by Yann Sommer.
Sterling should have done better when a good shot would end well with the bulge of the net, only to allow him to inflate his lines once again.
It would become a recurring theme.
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The winger of Manchester City felt that he deserved a penalty as the match remained blank 15 minutes from the end.
Again Alexander-Arnold delivered and again Sterling was confused and could not keep it.
He felt embarrbaded by a push in the back, the VAR was not in agreement.
Then, five minutes from the end, the VAR again disagreed with England because Wilson was penalized for holding the jersey of a defender.
The parties collapsed in the additional time. Sterling had two more chances but was unable to convert either to Sommer before Sommer brilliantly managed to turn his head away for Dele.
And as they had not been lucky enough, Switzerland earned another reprieve four minutes from the end of the overtime, the ball escaping again from the crossbar after a shot franc.
And yes, you guessed it, the ball was hit by this Sterling man.
So the match came back to the shootout and the fan favorite, Harry Maguire, broke down forcefully in the first game.
Steven Zuber, Ross Barkley, Granite Xhaka, Jadon Sancho and Manuel Akanji all scored before Sterling intervened and made every effort to score.
Kevin Mbabu found the net before Pickford took off his gloves to give an amazing kick – and he loved it.
Everton's cap could not be the hero immediately because Fabian Schar was in the middle of the field.
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But then, Eric Dier – as in Russia – made no mistake in meaning that Josip Drmic had to score.
Pickford, however, flew across his right to ensure victory. It may not have been as emotional as against the Colombians, but a shootout win in England is a rare event that must be savored.
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