England defy football logic – it is not normal to play so poorly and keep winning

They have been unable to break down and beat Denmark, Slovenia, Slovakia and Switzerland over the course of 90 minutes, the latter two requiring extra-time and penalties.

When Saka equalised on Saturday, it had been over 90 minutes over two games since England had a shot on target – which was Harry Kane’s winner against Slovakia.

Yet again, when the game was drifting and crying out for fresh legs and imagination from the substitutes bench, Southgate was reactive rather than proactive. As in the previous game, it worked for him.

With most teams, this level of brinkmanship would not be sustainable. England are getting by following different rules.

International football is not necessarily about brilliant back-to-back displays. I have said and written many times that it is often about getting it right when it matters, and a world-class player turning up can hide a multitude of flaws in a side.

Many are pointing out that France have not been playing swashbuckling football over the last month, while Germany, Portugal and Italy are out. Spain needed a late winner in extra-time to make it to the last four, too.

The difference with all those teams is they have all produced at least one or two high-class performances against quality opponents. Average as they have occasionally been, the situation is not comparable.

The combined xG of France’s strikers, Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann, is superior to the entire England team, which shows they are creating chances even if they are not scoring enough.

Didier Deschamps’ side have played three of the seven highest-ranked countries in world football. The Swiss, rated 19th in the world, are the highest ranked England have played so far. With respect, we are not talking about an underdog side going toe-to-toe with superpowers, eking out results by getting the most from their resources. England are dragging themselves down to the level of mediocre teams and just about getting over the line.