Once again England won a penalty shoot-out and once again Jordan Pickford was their hero. Not that finishing third in the Nations League possessed any of the drama, tension, occasion or resonance of beating Colombia in the last-16 of the World Cup last summer but this is a good habit to continue.

Typing ‘once again’ when it comes to England and shoot-outs usually is followed by the word ‘lost’. But after decades of anguish, after losing five shoot-outs in a row, England have now won back-to-back ones for the first time ever and it was also the first time they had scored six of their efforts - all six in fact – with Pickford not just saving the decisive kick but scoring. And no England goalkeeper has ever taken a penalty in a shoot-out before. These are small pieces of history but history all the same.

By defeating Switzerland England have followed up the fourth place in the World Cup with a third place in the new Nations League.

Progress again, hopefully, although Gareth Southgate was not sugar-coating the disappointment of losing the semi-final against Holland and the calamitous manner of that 3-1 extra-time defeat. There was an edge to his frustration which bodes well. The England manager wants more.

The shoot-out proved the highlight for England in a mini-finals that promised so much but which slipped away like a missed opportunity. A bit like the number of missed opportunities in this game as England spurned chance after chance and struck the goal-frame no fewer than four times in what was, in truth, an uninspiring performance.