Ollie Watkins’ bolt from blue stuns Netherlands and sends England to final | Euro 2024
Is it time for a rethink about Gareth Southgate’s substitutions? As the tension rose at the BVB Stadion and extra time beckoned, it was England who found an extra burst when two players who had not been on the pitch long combined to send them through to a first final on foreign soil.
They were all off the bench when Ollie Watkins collected Cole Palmer’s pass, swivelled away from Stefan de Vrij and arrowed a stunning shot into the Netherlands net. Having trailed to a spectacular early goal from Xavi Simons, England had rallied through Harry Kane’s penalty, but they had run out of steam during the second half. When Southgate took Kane off for Watkins, nobody could have imagined the impact the striker would make.
After a day of sweltering temperatures, a torrential downpour that left supporters running for cover not long before kick-off was never going to douse the sense of occasion. With the famous Yellow Wall turned a brilliant shade of orange for the evening, there was no holding back from the Dutch during a blistering opening period.
Structural frailties were evident in England straight away. Seven minutes in, they were slow to react when Marc Guéhi, restored at left centre-back after a one-match ban, headed away a long ball. Declan Rice gathered possession, but he did not sort out his feet and was swiftly dispossessed by Simons.
In a tournament of great goals by wonderkids, here was another one. Simons advanced with one thought in his mind, any doubt banished by John Stones backing off. A few yards outside the area, the midfielder laced a right-footed effort towards the far corner and pretty much stunned Jordan Pickford, who was beaten by the power of the shot despite getting a hand to the ball.
England were behind for the third successive game. Over on the left, Kieran Trippier called for calm. There was no need to panic. England, again arranged in a 3-4-2-1, had looked bright. Jude Bellingham was purposeful and Bukayo Saka was lively on the right again. Phil Foden and Kobbie Mainoo were in the mood for some fun.
As for Kane, he had a point to prove. There was more zip to the captain’s movement, more energy. England sensed a way back when Kane, having pulled away from Virgil van Dijk, tested Bart Verbruggen from 25 yards.
Saka was next to drive forward, wriggling away from Nathan Aké, who was having a torrid time. Desperation taking over, the Dutch defence panicked as the ball reached Kane, who shot over a split second before being caught by a high foot from Denzel Dumfries.
It was a clear foul, albeit one that needed a VAR review, and Kane stepped up to take his first penalty in a tournament since his miss against France. Would he blink again? No chance. Verbruggen guessed correctly, diving to his right, but Kane’s shot was too hard and England celebrated a deserved equaliser.
Now they poured forward, Trippier pushing up the left and Kyle Walker supporting Saka with a stream of overlapping runs. Foden, always in space, was having a splendid game. He almost Lamine Yamal’d in a left-footed shot from 25 yards and was also denied by a goalline clearance from Dumfries.
The Netherlands right-back was having quite the half. There was a warning for England when Dumfries headed a corner against the bar. But the Dutch were hanging on. Mainoo, who took the breath away with one delightful mid-air turn, was running midfield.
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Ronald Koeman responded, replacing the hamstrung Memphis Depay and stiffening his midfield with Joey Veerman. A turning point? Southgate has been attacked for his in-game management. Koeman would also change the complexion of his attack at half-time, Donyell Malen making way for big Wout Weghorst, whose first contribution was to clobber Stones.
Southgate had also made a move, the arrival of Luke Shaw for Trippier giving England more balance on the left. Yet there was less urgency at the start of the second half. England had the ball but they were finding it harder to break through the lines, the Dutch more compact with Veerman providing the defence with an extra shield.
It became edgy as the spectacle descended into long spells of sideways passing from England. The ball was no longer finding its way to Saka in space. Bellingham and Foden were probing without success. From a poorly defended free-kick, Pickford made a smart stop from Aké.
England were fading, their bluntness captured by Jerdy Schouten halting Bellingham’s burst down the left. Bellingham, desperate to make an impact, was booked for a clumsy foul. Moments later he failed to gather a huge throw from Pickford.
The sight of Tijjani Reijnders, Schouten and Veerman dictating the tempo felt all too familiar. England needed fresh legs and Southgate reacted after Saka had a goal disallowed for a tight offside against Walker, Foden and a tiring Kane making way for Palmer and Watkins. But still the Dutch pressed and it needed a vital challenge from Guéhi to deny Weghorst.
Cody Gakpo had finally come alive on the left, worrying Walker with his dangerous dribbling. At the other end, a rare England attack ended with Shaw’s cross reaching Palmer. With glory beckoning, he sliced a shot wide.
But Palmer kept his head up. As the 90th minute arrived, he slipped a lovely pass to Watkins. His turn and shot ended the argument. England were on their way to Berlin to face Spain in Sunday’s final. They will not be favourites. But they have depths of resilience that should not be underestimated. After Bellingham’s overhead kick against Slovakia and the penalty heroics against Switzerland, here was the latest act of defiance.
