England has advanced to the Euro 2024 final after a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over the Netherlands, secured by a stoppage-time goal from substitute Ollie Watkins.
The match, held in Dortmund on Wednesday, saw England trailing until late in the game. Manager Gareth Southgate made a bold move by substituting captain Harry Kane for Watkins in the 80th minute, a decision that proved decisive.
In the first minute of stoppage time, Watkins received a pass from fellow substitute Cole Palmer, turned with his back to goal, and fired a powerful shot into the bottom corner from a tight angle.
“Unbelievable – I’ve been waiting for that moment for weeks,” said Watkins, the Aston Villa striker who was joint-fourth top scorer in the Premier League last season. “It’s taken a lot of hard work to get to where I am today. I got the opportunity and took it with both hands.”
England’s journey to the final has been filled with tension. In the knockout stages, they scored a stoppage-time equalizer through Jude Bellingham before edging past Slovakia in the last 16, and needed a penalty shootout to overcome Switzerland in the quarterfinals.
The thrilling performances have kept supporters back home on the edge of their seats – including King Charles III.
“If I may encourage you to secure victory before the need for any last-minute wonder-goals or another penalties drama, I am sure the stresses on the nation’s collective heart rate and blood pressure would be greatly alleviated,” King Charles III said in a congratulatory message after the game.
Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman expressed his disappointment: “I had a feeling toward the end of the match that maybe we could score, and for sure in extra time I’d have put money on us.”
England will face Spain in Sunday’s final in Berlin. It will be the nation’s first title game on foreign soil, having previously won the World Cup in 1966 and lost to Italy in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium.
“It’s going to be unbelievably tough – a really difficult game,” said Kane about the upcoming final against Spain, widely regarded as the best team in the tournament. “One more game to make history.”
Reference(s):
England beat Netherlands 2-1 on late goal to reach Euro 2024 final
cgtn.com
