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July 10 – England will play Spain in their second successive European championship final and their first-ever major final abroad after Ollie Watkins’s brilliant 90th-minute strike eliminated the Netherlands in a 2-1 semi-final victory.
England and Gareth Southgate faced criticism for a turgid style and unimaginative substitutions, though they have improved in the knock-out rounds. The semi-final saw a very different England, at last comfortable with their set and playing at a greater pace and with more intensity going forward.
They dominated the first half, despite going behind early on and could easily have gone in at half time a goal up.
Watkins, on as a substitute, provided the defining moment, set up on the right by Cole Palmer, also on as a sub, he drove the ball through the legs of his defender and into the far corner. England and their fans celebrated as the country qualified for its first major final in a tournament they have not hosted.
Xavi Simons opened the scoring for the Netherlands
Set up in a 4-2-3-1, England seized possession early on and what was in effect a midfield four dominated the Dutch three with Declan Rice and Kobbie Mainoo calling the shots.
The Dutch have been without their talisman Frenkie de Jong but Xavi Simons has blossomed in a central role this tournament.
In the 7th minute, he bullied Rice off the ball and rifled a bullet of a shot into the top corner that Jordan Pickford got a hand to but never looked like stopping. The Orange Wall behind the English goalkeeper wild.
It was a stunning masterpiece to ignite the semi-final. England responded with bravura – Bukaya Sako running rings around the Dutch defenders, constantly wandering infield, leaving the opposing rearguard confused. On one of his gallops, Saka’s loose ball dropped to Harry Kane, author of a cracking shot earlier, and the striker blasted a half-volley over.
Harry Kane equalised for England from the spot
On review the referee Felix Zwayer awarded a…
Source link : https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2024/07/10/england-edge-past-netherlands-added-time-watkins-strike/
Author : Paul Nicholson
Publish date : 2024-07-10 21:53:03
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