If there is a crumb of  comfort, something that Roy Hodgson can use as a motivational tool over the next few days, the Italians are almost as bad at penalties as the English.

England's manager might not put it quite like that and he might have to focus more on the 1994 World Cup final than the one that followed 12 years later but the Italians choke, the English choke. Four out of six defeats plays five out of six. No need to panic.

Those members of the England squad who were in Munich recently can share their stories of how the Germans are capable of choking, too. Some of the same Germans that England might yet meet in the semi-finals should both teams progress from the last eight.

Well earned rest: Roy Hodgson salutes fans in Krakow a day after England's victory over Ukraine

Players like Bastian Schweinsteiger will probably be terrified to take one. Ashley Cole, unlike a previous England left back, will not. Cole might also add that Sunday’s referee,
Pedro Proenca, is the same Portuguese official who took charge of Chelsea’s Champions League final success. The omens are good.

Hodgson acknowledged in the early hours of Wednesday that the burden of history always weighs heavily on the shoulders of England’s players at a major tournament, particularly when there are English players at this  European Championship with painful memories of those games against  Portugal in 2004 and 2006.

But Hodgson has developed this knack for easing the pressure on his players and he did so again when it came to  discussing a national phobia.

Here in Eastern Europe Hodgson has managed to set the right tone; cut through the hysteria that can often develop in these situations; be a  calming influence.

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