England's Joker upsetsOrange in the last minute into the Valley of Tears
The Netherlands are leading with a dream team, but England is fighting back. In the second EURO semi-final, the Three Lions put in their best performance of the tournament. With everyone expecting an extension, an English wildcard steps in.
England reaches for the crown again: Thanks to Partycrasher Ollie Watkins, the greedy Three Lions finally dream of the first major title since 58 years. The comeback kings under manager Gareth Southgate didn't let the Netherlands stop them and made it to the second consecutive EURO final, ending the fairytale for the Dutch team and their sad fans.
On Sunday at the Berlin final (21:00/ARD, MagentaTV and live at ntv.de), England's star team with a total market value of nearly 1.5 billion Euros is anything but an outsider against the EURO nightmare for Germany - Spain. Kane and Co. suddenly turn powerful just in time for the showdown.
However, the Netherlands wept instead. Around 100,000 fans had immersed themselves in orange in Dortmund before the game, hoping for a fairytale like in 1988 - back then, the current Dutch coach Ronald Koeman led the Dutch to the title in Germany as a defender. And after the spectacular leading goal from former Leipzig player Xavi Simons (7'), it looked good at first, but the Dutch couldn't keep up with the convincing English team. Joker Wout Weghorst also failed to make an impact this time. And so, Orange must wait for the second major title.
Kane now holds the record for goals in the knockout stages of the EURO
Things are different for England. "Now is the chance to write history," Southgate had said before the game. While fans were grumbling about the minimalist results football shown earlier, Southgate believed in his team. After the penalty drama in London, where the team had to hand the EURO cup over to Italy three years ago, this time it should be different. The 58 years of pain and great tragedies after the 1966 World Cup title in England must finally come to an end on Sunday against Spain, so the hope in the land of football.
And England turns on the power just in time for the crunch point of the tournament. As they had done in the round of 16 against Slovakia and in the quarterfinals against Switzerland, the English found themselves behind, but there was no sign of panic. Instead, they showed their best EURO performance. Bellingham, who had returned to Dortmund and had a tense reunion with the German referee Felix Zwayer, could only make a few impacts - instead, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka created danger time and time again. Kane, with now six goals the best scorer in EURO knockout stage history, and England could rely on goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
After the early goal conceded, England took control, increased the pressure, and remained patient in the Dutch orange defense, waiting for their chance. And Watkins, who had been brought on for Kane, made England cheer in the end. Now, it's time, no, it must be the title against Spain.
England's resurgence continues in Football EURO 2024, with Jude Bellingham contributing alongside key players like Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka. Harry Kane, having broken the record for goals in the EURO knockout stages, remains a crucial figure. England's international match against the Netherlands was briefly led by the Dutch, but England's determination led to a thrilling comeback, setting them up for a potential title clash against Spain.
