England Triumphs Over Netherlands with Last-Minute Goal to Reach Euro 2024 Final
In a thrilling encounter at Euro 2024, England secured their place in the final after a dramatic 2-1 victory over the Netherlands. The match, held in Dortmund, saw England come from behind once again, continuing their trend of nail-biting finishes that have captivated fans worldwide, including King Charles III.
England manager Gareth Southgate made a bold decision by substituting captain Harry Kane for Ollie Watkins in the 80th minute. The gamble paid off spectacularly when Watkins scored in the first minute of stoppage time. Receiving a pass from fellow substitute Cole Palmer, Watkins turned inside the area and fired a fierce shot into the bottom corner, sending England fans into raptures.
“Unbelievable – I’ve been waiting for that moment for weeks,” said Watkins, who had previously made only one appearance in the tournament. “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 path to the final has been a roller coaster. In the knockout phase, they needed a stoppage-time equalizer from Jude Bellingham to edge past Slovakia in the last 16 and survived a penalty shootout against Switzerland in the quarterfinals. Their penchant for dramatic finishes even prompted a message from 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,” the monarch said in a congratulatory note.
Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman expressed his disappointment, saying, “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 and their star player Lamine Yamal in Sunday’s final in Berlin. It marks England’s first major tournament final on foreign soil, following their World Cup win in 1966 and the Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium.
“It’s going to be unbelievably tough – a really difficult game,” said Harry Kane about the upcoming final. “One more game to make history.”
Reference(s):
England beat Netherlands 2-1 on late goal to reach Euro 2024 final
cgtn.com
