Ollie Watkins scored a last-minute winner as England secured a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands to lead his side to the Euro 2024 final against Spain on Sunday at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.
The substitute struck his first goal in a major tournament for England as he turned Dutch defender Stefan de Vrij in the box before hammering the ball into the far bottom corner.
It is a second consecutive European Championship final for Gareth Southgate’s side, who came up short against Italy on penalties at Wembley in 2021.
Winning goalscorer Wakins was in disbelief at full time, saying: “It’s unbelievable. I’ve been waiting for that moment for weeks.”
But, Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk cut a forlorne figure, adding: “I have no words for this. 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.
Shocked into action
Having produced a series of uninspired performances to reach the semifinal in Dortmund, expectations were not particularly high for England against a livewire Dutch side.
Dortmund’s famous ‘Yellow Wall’ was turned orange by the bounching Netherlands fans, and they were soon sent into delirium as the Dutch took the lead within three minutes when Xavi Simmons blasted the ball past Jordan Pickford from 25-yards out.
Despite the shock of falling behind so early, England recovered immediately, pressing high and Bakayo Saka and Phil Foden linking well, with the latter testing goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.
It was a stroke of luck that brought England back on level terms as the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) adjudged Denzel Dumfries’ stud to have clipped Harry Kane’s toe inside the box, earning England a penalty that was dispatched with ease by their fouled captain.
With Engalnd firmly on the front foot, Foden struck the post before dancing into the box and seeing his shot cleared off the line by mere millimeters as the match went into half time level.
More to follow
Edited by: Wesley Dockrey
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