England came one step closer to bringing it home, getting a huge 2-1 semifinal victory over the Netherlands at Euro 2024. With the win, England advances to the Euro final for the second time in a row.
The game got off to a fast and exciting start, with a banger from 21-year-old Dutch midfielder Xavi Simons to open the scoring in the seventh minute. But it didn’t take long for England to equalize, after captain Harry Kane drew a penalty kick and buried it in the 18th minute to put England on the board.
England nearly took the lead just five minutes later, but Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries — who caused the PK — made up for his earlier blunder with a massive save at the goal line. Behind Dumfries’ heroics, the Netherlands was able to keep things tied up through halftime.
The second half, on the other hand, was a bit more subdued as the Netherlands and England traded control of the ball. England seemingly had the winning goal in the 79th minute, but it was ruled offsides.
Striker Ollie Watkins broke the stalemate just minutes after being subbed on, scoring a beautiful goal in the 90th minute to give England the lead in the last minutes of play.
The goal was a huge moment for Watkins, marking his first for England in a major tournament — and what a time for it. The 28-year-old striker was awarded Player of the Match for his efforts.
England has notably never won the Euros, despite the team’s best efforts. The closest it got was at the COVID-delayed Euro 2020, where England advanced to the final before ultimately falling to Italy in penalties.
England will now play Spain on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, Fox/Univision) in an attempt to earn the Euro championship that has so far eluded the team. Despite both being strong UEFA teams, the two men’s teams have not met since October 2018, where England took a 3-2 win in a UEFA Nations League matchup.
