Netherlands 1-2 England
A Euro 2024 semi-final showdown to savour in Dortmund.
That was how this second semi-final was described pre-match and it certainly lived up to its billing.
Amidst a cacophony of sound, there were plenty of English and even they were outnumbered by the Dutch – perhaps not surprisingly as they are based so close to Germany.
Two nations who, unlike some of their fellow European counterparts, had not quite mastered the consistency or level of performance their talent warrants but who now had a genuine chance to win their first silverware since 1966 and 1988 respectively.
Highlights of the game
I said a fortnight ago that England were not great but their critics were over the top and, while the draw had been extremely favourable, here was a chance to do what none of their predecessors had ever managed – reach a second successive final at the European Championships.
From an English perspective then, the reality was simple: against a decent but hardly awe-inspiring Netherlands, all anyone wanted to know is whether the doubters were right about manager Gareth Southgate being too limited to win a trophy.
While Southgate’s future was unclear, there was no doubting the intentions of his opposite number.
Ronald Koeman had earlier confirmed his desire to remain as the Netherlands boss until the World Cup in 2026.
Although he has a contract up until the end of that tournament, there was a clause that could have come into effect had the Netherlands not progressed beyond the last 16 here.
He has still faced criticism from some supporters but it is now very unlikely that the KNVB would choose to part ways ahead of a new Nations League campaign this autumn.
No sooner had Koeman, a member of the Dutch-winning squad at Euro 88, and Southgate, a defeated semi-finalist at Euro 96, exchanged pleasantries, so the Euro 2024 highlights began.
England made just the one change from their quarter-final tie with Switzerland as Marc Guehi replaced Ezri Konsa in central defence, returning from a one-game ban.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands also opted for just the sole alteration from their previous two knockout games, with two-goal Donyell Malen getting the nod over Steven Bergwijn up front.
A thunderous early strike from Xavi Simons gave the Dutch the lead, one they held until England got fortunate with a penalty for the second successive European Championship semi-final.
The England captain had fired over the bar before he was caught by a high foot from Denzel Dumfries.
VAR again applied the letter of the law, which needs changing and, while goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen guessed correctly, Kane’s shot from the spot was too powerful.
Both nations hit the woodwork but a close and exciting contest naturally became more edgy as the second half progressed and Southgate’s men looked to be heading into extra time for the third successive game.
That is until two players who had not been on the pitch long combined to send them through to a first final on foreign soil.
As the clock showed 90 minutes, Cole Palmer slipped a lovely pass through to Ollie Watkins and the Aston Vila man turned and rifled a shot to provide a moment no England fan will ever forget.
Here was the latest act of defiance.
In the last-16 with the Sbotop Euro 2024 betting odds stacked against them, the Three Lions were seconds away from going out against Slovakia.
They then needed penalties to overcome Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
And they were behind after just seven minutes against the Netherlands.
Now they are going to the German capital of Berlin to face Spain in Sunday’s final.
They will not be favourites. But they have depths of resilience and, as Jude Bellingham’s overhead kick against Slovakia, their penalty heroics against the Swiss and their dazzling last-gasp wonder against the Dutch have already shown, they should not be underestimated.
Key statistics
This is only the second time in 10 meetings that England have defeated the Netherlands – the other was a 1-0 friendly success in Amsterdam in March 2018.
A total of 22 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams.
This was the fourth meeting between England and Netherlands at a major tournament; the Oranje won 3-1 at Euro 88 (thanks to a Marco van Basten hat-trick), followed by a goalless draw at the 1990 World Cup, and a 4-1 England succes at Euro 1996.
What’s next?
It’s England v Spain in Berlin on Sunday (July 14) evening at the final of Euro 2024. It promises to be a cracker!
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