Summary:
- Wednesday’s semi-final between England vs. the Netherlands ended with The Three Lions’ dramatic 2-1 victory.
- Substitute Ollie Watkins was the squad’s savior with a goal scored in 90’.
- England will go into Sunday’s final in Berlin against Spain.
It was another dramatic end of the night for English and Dutch fans gathered at the BVB Stadion Dortmund in Dortmund on Wednesday as the Euro 2024 semi-final unfolded in front of their eyes.
England’s victorious finish paved the way to Sunday’s final against Spain while leaving the Dutch to experience heartbreak and frustration.
The Three Lions made it into their second consecutive UEFA Euro final after ending the night with a final score of 2-1 courtesy of substitute Ollie Watkins who managed a superb goal from a tight angle in the 90th minute.
The Netherlands was hoping for a rematch of the 2010 World Cup final against the Spaniards.
Ollie, the Hero of the Night
Cole Palmer’s perfect pass led to Ollie’s victory over Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen just as the two sides were getting mentally ready for extra-time and the possibility of penalty kicks due to the unflinching 1-1 score on the table.
King Charles took the opportunity to warmly congratulate the team, making a light-hearted quip about their stressful path to the final while sending players the royal family’s “very best wishes”.
Captain Harry Kane also commented on Ollie’s accomplishment postgame, saying
He has been waiting, he’s been patient and what he’s done out there is outstanding. What a finish. I’m so happy for him, he deserves it.
Kane added even one minute “can make a difference” and win them the tournament.
Ollie Watkins scored a total of 19 goals in the 2023-24 English Premier League while representing his team, Aston Villa.
Virgil van Dijk: “This Hurts a Lot.”
While the Netherlands scored just seven minutes in the first half, it took a penalty kick from Kane to quickly cancel out their advantage before 20 minutes had gone by.
Both sides looked good in attack during the first half and everyone was anticipating the extra time that would determine the winner until a very courageous Gareth Southgate decided to replace Harry Kane with Ollie Watkins and Phil Foden with Cole Palmer.
The bold move showed the England manager learned from his past mistakes from three years ago when he didn’t make the change that could have brought his side the European championships.
Despite having only played 20 minutes in the previous five games, Ollie proved to be just what England needed.
Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk commented on their loss, saying
When you concede so late, it’s terrible. This hurts a lot. You give it your all and if it still turns out like that, it sucks.
England has not won the European championship so far (though the women are the reigning Euro champions), finishing runner-up in the last edition, but is hoping to see this chance this Sunday in Berlin.
Can England exercise their demons and finally “Bring Football Home” – get all the best odds from the best non UK Betting Sites