Dortmund: England have their sights on a first-ever major tournament final on foreign soil in Wednesday’s Euro 2024 semi-final when they take on a surging Dutch side in Dortmund.
The Three Lions are looking to make amends for their run to the Euro 2020 final, where they lost in heartbreaking fashion on penalties to Italy at Wembley.
England’s only major tournament triumph to date also came at home in the 1966 World Cup.
Gareth Southgate’s men have 58 years of injuries behind them and have shown remarkable resilience, if not the quality expected from one of the pre-tournament favorites in Germany.
England twice stared a humiliating early exit to fend off Slovakia and Switzerland to reach the last four.
Individual fine moments from Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka kept them alive with late equalizers before beating Slovakia in extra time and Switzerland on penalties.
Those were the flashes of individual talent at Southgate’s disposal and the England boss defiantly defended his record, even if his side have failed to hit top gear so far in the tournament.
Under Southgate, England are now in their third semi-final in four major tournaments – matching the three semi-finals they reached in their history before his appointment eight years ago.
This did not save the 53-year-old man from criticism. Southgate was pelted with cups of beer after the 0-0 draw against Slovenia in the group stage and faced backlash for his perceived negative tactics with a richly talented squad.
“I can’t deny that when things get as personal as they did, it hurts. I don’t think it’s normal to have beer thrown at you,” Southgate said of his detractors.
The England boss bristled at suggestions his side finished on the receiving end of the draw, away from France, Spain, Germany and Portugal.
Still, the Dutch can count themselves even luckier on their way to the final, finishing third in Group D behind France and Austria.
Ronald Koeman’s men produced their best performance of the tournament as they saw off Romania 3-0 in the last 16 before holding on for a goal in front of a hostile crowd in Berlin to beat Turkey 2-1.
Boasting their own impressive array of talent plying their careers in England’s top flight, the Netherlands will have no worries when you come up against a host of Premier League stars.
“If you see the quality of players from both teams, you can expect the pace and level of play to be really high,” Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven said.
Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo was arguably the best striker at the tournament and is the only player to score three goals in the competition.
The Dutch had to wait 36 years since their only triumph at a major tournament when the Euros were last held in Germany.
This is also the only time they have reached the final of the European Championship.
But they will wish they were in Berlin on Sunday unless England suddenly kick into gear.
Euros final beckons for one of imperfect England or Netherlands
