England beat the Netherlands 2-1 to secure a place in the Euro 2024 final, with the highlight of the match being the classy substitute Ollie Watkins, who came on at the end of the 90 minutes and helped the Brits secure a place in the decider against Spain with a crucial goal.
This was a clash between two teams that have undergone a deep overhaul in recent years and have regained a place among the football elite and are looking for trophies, after a period of poor performances in some major tournaments. In the English case, Euro 2008 absence It is the biggest drawback of the latter route, while the Dutch Euro 2016 failure (Good memory for Portugal) And the 2018 World Cup.
The match did not take long to heat up, as both teams showed openness and offensive readiness from the first minutes. In a moment of pure geniusIn the seventh minute, Xavi Simons recovered the ball from a tackle on Declan Rice (yes, what a strange role reversal), climbed a few metres and fired an unstoppable shot into the top corner of Pickford’s goal.
Hostilities were open and England took charge of the game. The pressure paid off, as after some good team play the ball fell to Harry Kane and Dumfries made a dangerous run into the box that ended up being awarded a penalty, after consultation with the video referee.
During the conversion, he shot his left side. The match was tied in the 18th minute.although Verbruggen threw himself on the right flank.
Fortunately for the fans, the draw did not slow down the game and the match gained an attacking element, which was fun to watch. In the 32nd minute, the Netherlands were already in trouble. Phil Foden invented space He shot in a perfect arc, only to be stopped by the post, which resulted in one of the goals of the tournament being denied.
Minutes passed and the Dutch’s initial momentum faded. The English team took control of the ball and pushed the opponent into the middle of the field, although there were some difficulties in penetrating the defensive block.
The break brought some changes.as the selectors try to untie the knot that has bound the game. Koeman sent on Weghorst for Malen, opting for a penalty-box reference and losing the winger’s blistering pace, while Southgate made a straightforward substitution, sending on Luke Shaw for Trippier on the left wing.
This British change also expanded the Three Lions’ play, responding to the entry of Veerman into midfield, and the departure of striker Memphis Depay, allowing the Dutch to better control the midfield.
Perhaps as a result of fatigue, The pace slowed down in the second half.Both teams felt the weight of the goal at this stage of the match on the outcome and became more cautious, preferring safer exchanges of the ball, at the expense of more attacking and dangerous football.
In the 80th minute, one of the hottest moments of the second half came, when Kyle Walker, in a good move, isolated Bukayo Saka inside the area and the number 7 actually put the ball in the goal, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
And with just seconds to go, England got their deserved reward. After a burst of English joy, Cole Palmer sent a killer pass to Watkins and the striker fired in a beautiful low shot from a very tricky angle. England’s place in the European finalrepeat attendance 2021.
