Euro 2024: England are through to the final to face Spain
- Published
England are through to the final of the Euros after beating the Netherlands 2-1.
It's the first time ever that the men's England team has made it to the final of a tournament held in a different country.
In a nail-biting semi-final match, where the Netherlands scored an early goal, England came from behind to win, with a penalty from Harry Kane, and a goal in the final minute by substitute Ollie Watkins.
England will now play against Spain in the final of Euro 2024 in Berlin on Sunday 14 July.
- Published10 July
- Published8 July
How England made it to the final of Euro 2024
The Netherlands got off the a blazing start in the game, with an early goal in the first seven minutes coming from 21-year-old Xavi Simons.
But this spurred England on with Bukayo Saka driving the ball through the Netherlands defences, and lining up captain Harry Kane to take a shot at the goal.
However, Kane got caught on Denzel Dumfries foot and took a tumble.
After a VAR review it was called as a foul, and a penalty was given. Kane scored from the spot, levelling the game at 1-1.
Late in the game, with the score still tied, England manager Gareth Southgate decided to swap out Kane for Ollie Watkins with nine minutes to go on the clock.
With extra time looking likely, substitute Watkins scored for England in the final minute to win the match 2-1 and secured a place in the final.
Ollie Watkins: 'The best feeling ever!'
Speaking about the winning goal, Ollie Watkins said it was "unbelievable" and "the best feeling ever".
"Scoring for England is amazing but I didn't think I'd do it in a tournament like that." he said.
Speaking to ITV, Manager Gareth Southgate said reaching the Euro 2024 final is his biggest achievement as England manager so far: "I think it has to be the best. It's another landmark, but the way that we played as well, we played so well throughout the game."