Netherlands 1, England 2 (Euro 2024 Semi Final)
England qualified for the final of Euro 2024 with a stunning last minute goal to beat Netherlands by Ollie Watkins.
Embed from Getty ImagesWatkins, on as a substitute, was sent clear by fellow sub Cole Palmer and arrowed home the winner from the tightest of angles to beat Bart Verbruggen with just one second of the regulation 90 minutes left.
The dramatic finish followed a just as exciting first half where England went behind to a superb Xavi Simon’s strike after the Dutch midfielder robbed Declan Rice and beat Jordan Pickford from the edge of the box after just seven minutes.
England responded quickly and levelled the game following a contentious penalty decision that needed a VAR check to confirm after Denzel Dumfries appeared to kick Harry Kane after he had kicked the ball in the Dutch penalty area.
Kane dusted himself off and levelled from the penalty spot in the 18th minute.
Manchester City’s Phil Foden was used again in a more central role in a team that showed just one change from the quarter final against Switzerland – Marc Guehi returned from suspension to replace the excellent Ezra Konsa.
The move to a back three, as in the game against the Swiss, allowed Foden to express himself once again in his favoured central role.
Foden saw a shot cleared off the line by Dumfries – goal line technology had to be used to confirm this.
He also hit the woodwork with a curling effort that would have rivalled Lamine Yamal’s wonderstrike yesterday had it gone in.
He faded in the second half after the Dutch reorganised and plugged the obvious holes and Pickford had to save from Virgil Van Dijk as England had to be defensively solid until the late sub drama.
The last gasp goal from Watkins allowed Southgate and England the opportunity to go one better after their Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy at Wembley – the chance to write themselves into football history as the first England football team (men or women) to win a major tournament on foreign soil.