Ollie Watkins scored in second-half stoppage time as England beat Netherlands 2-1 to enter the final of the 2024 European Championship, at the Signal Iduna Park in Germany on Wednesday.
This was the first time the Three Lions secured a spot in the final, in a major international tournament, on foreign soil, with the previous two occasions being the 1966 FIFA World Cup and the 2020 European Championship.
“Every single player, every single one, I am so proud of them. You might get five minutes, one minute, but you can get out and win the tournament,” Harry Kane said after the match.
AS IT HAPPENED: Netherlands vs England Highlights
Earlier, it was the Dutch who drew first blood when Xavi Simons shot from the edge of the box, giving his team the lead in the seventh minute. However, England got its chance to restore parity after 10 minutes, when Denzel Dumfries late challenge on Kane stopped play for a potential penalty.
The referee, Felix Zwayer, after consulting the Video Assistant Referee, had a look at the monitor and pointed to the spot, with Harry Kane finishing calmly to make it 1-1.
England had a chance to take the lead within minutes when Phil Foden danced past Dutch defenders to almost score, when Dumfries redeemed himself with a crucial goal-line clearance.
In the second half, England manager Gareth Southgate made some aggressive changes, including the substitution of Harry Kane, England’s highest scores at the Euro 2024, with Watkins, who had played just 20 minutes in five games, so far in this tournament.
With Watkins and Cole Palmer on, with the latter coming on for Foden, England shifted gears and both combined in injury time to send the English fans into delirium.
WATCH: Ollie Watkins scores stoppage-time winner in Netherlands vs England semifinal match
“I swear on my life, wife and my kids, (on the sidelines) I told Cole that both of us are going to come on and you (Palmer) are going to set me up,” Watkins, who won the Player of the Match, said after the match.,” and I am so happy that it happened.”
England will play Spain in the final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on July 14, looking to win the trophy for the first time. It had come close in the last edition of the tournament, only to lose to Italy on penalties.
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