England qualify for Euro 2024 final; Netherlands knocked out after 2-1 defeat

Three Lions reached consecutive final of major tournament for the first time.

England defeated the Netherlands 2-1 in second-half regulation time to advance to the 2024 European Championship final At Signal Iduna Park in Germany on Wednesday. Ollie Watkins scored the winning goal in this scenario.

The 1966 FIFA World Cup winners and the 2020 European Championship finalist, both held in England, were the two previous major international tournaments in which the Three Lions had advanced to the final, but this was the first time they had done it abroad.

Both teams had a strong start, but the Netherlands took the lead right away when Declan Rice lost possession of the ball and Xavi Simons fired a stunning goal from the very edge of the penalty area as he fell.

With Phil Foden and Kobbie Mainoo leading the charge, England, however, forced their way back into the contest. Then, in minute sixteen, Harry Kane had a good chance, but Denzel Dumfries was there to intercept and try to block.

After a while, VAR became involved, and the referee arrived to determine whether to give a penalty, which Kane duly scored into the bottom-left corner.

Within minutes, England had an opportunity to grab the lead when Phil Foden danced past Dutch defenders and came dangerously close to scoring, but Dumfries saved his blushes with a vital goal-line clearance.

Even though England controlled the rest of the half, Foden unleashed a curler that was almost as good as Lamine Yamal’s goal for Spain the previous evening, but it smashed into the angle. Dumfries nodded against the crossbar with Pickford beaten but the ball hit the crossbar.

The second half was far less exciting as the Netherlands dominated England’s midfield. However, Gareth Southgate was proactive and decisive in his adjustments, and he was rewarded when Cole Palmer located Watkins, who carried out the exact task for which he was brought on and scored the winning goal to take England to Berlin.

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