Five games, no goals conceded.

England’s defense at the European Championship has proved to be an impenetrable part of Gareth Southgate’s winning formula in the team’s run to the semifinals.

Had the tournament taken place as planned a year ago, the defense would probably have looked very different. Consider the four-man backline of John Stones, Luke Shaw, Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire from England’s 4-0 victory over Ukraine on Saturday, a victory which set up a meeting with Denmark on Wednesday.

Stones is the only defender to start all five England matches at Euro 2020. But the center back had lost his place in the squad before the pandemic after becoming a bit-part player at Manchester City.

Shaw only returned to the England team as left back in March for his first appearance since 2019 after struggling with injuries and confidence at Manchester United.