With a late stunner from Ollie Watkins, England defeated the Netherlands 2-1 to advance to the Euro 2024 final in Berlin versus Spain.
With this Sunday’s showcase, England will have advanced to a major championship final on foreign territory for the first time as the men’s team has now reached back-to-back European Championship finals.
Watkins was the game’s MVP, receiving a pass from Cole Palmer, a fellow substitute, in additional time before blasting a shot into the far corner that set off fireworks across the nation.
Phil Foden and Kobbie Mainoo drove the Three Lions to brilliance in the first half.
Additionally, they had to come back from down a third time during the knockout stages. The Netherlands took the lead thanks to a fantastic shot from Xavi Simons (7), but not before Declan Rice had his pocket picked in his own half.
Eleven minutes later, dubious circumstances led to England’s equaliser. When Harry Kane attempted to score, Denzel Dumfries struck his right foot, and VAR eventually moved the referee to the pitchside monitor.
The referee then signalled for a penalty, which Kane himself converted with skill, sending Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen reeling.
The England captain told ITV Sport after the game: “My foot is hanging off so he did catch me. Sometimes you get them, sometimes you don’t. I was happy to step up and happy to be in the final.”
For the duration of the first half, England was in control. Foden came near twice, with Dumfries severing the line before another attempt struck the woodwork. Dumfries also struck out on his own, but the Netherlands had very little chance.
But an unwelcome return to the slower, more laboured England of much of Euro 2024 occurred in the second half.
A virgil van Dijk attempt required Jordan Pickford to save it, while Wout Weghorst, an unused substitute at halftime, caused trouble for an exhausted England defence.
When Kyle Walker’s cross was headed home by Bukayo Saka, Gareth Southgate’s team believed they had taken the lead. However, the goal was disallowed because Walker was just a bit offside during the build-up.
However, there was still time for one more attempt, and Watkins produced an incredible finale. Palmer located him there, and he spun away from Stefan de Vrij before putting a rocket through the defender’s legs and into the far corner, sending England supporters into a frenzy of excitement across the globe.
England manager Gareth Southgate to ITV Sport:
“This has to be the best [achievement]. It’s another landmark, but the way we played, we played so well throughout the game. It was a complicated game, they kept changing, we had to respond. We caused them problems all night and the end is so special for the squad.
“The most important thing is that the whole squad are ready to come into the game. We spend a lot of time with those guys [the substitutes], and I’m so chuffed for Ollie.
“We felt, energy-wise, we were starting to lose some pressure [in the second half]. Ollie can press well and make those runs in behind. We thought it was a good moment to try him.
“We deserved to win. We were very fluid in our formation, it wasn’t just a back three, we had to adapt all the time and the players made so many good decisions.”
Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman to ITV Sport:
“My feeling was in the last 20, 25 minutes, maybe our team is a little bit more fresh than England.
“But they scored a late goal in the last minute and that’s football. Sometimes I don’t say it’s unlucky because it’s a great goal.
“Maybe we deserved extra-time, but it’s like that. We can be proud about our team, our players because we had a great tournament and unlucky that it stops tonight.”
Goalscorer Ollie Watkins to ITV: “I said to Cole Palmer: ‘We’re coming on today and you’re going to set me up’. I knew, as soon as he got the ball, he was going to play me in and you’ve got to be greedy. Touch, finish and when I’ve seen it go in the bottom corner, it was the best feeling ever.”
Gary Neville to ITV: “Spain, they have been the best team and played the best football. So we’ve got our work cut but it feels like something is happening. Things are stacking up in England’s favour and that builds confidence.”
Roy Keane to ITV: “I’d have Spain as favourites, but sometimes things are written in the stars for this England team. They should have been out of it a week or so ago, they’ve now got momentum.”
Harry Kane to ITV: “We talk about being ready when it matters. You might get five minutes, one minute but you can make a difference and win us a tournament. Ollie has been waiting, patiently, and what he did was outstanding. He deserves it.”
Jude Bellingham to ITV: “Spain have looked amazing. They’ve been really good but it’s a one-off game and anything can happen. It’ll be interesting to go toe-to-toe with them.”
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