Three Lions roar into Euro Final thanks to a late Ollie Watkins strike
England earn a second consecutive slot in the final of Euro having ended as runners up in the last edition
Dortmund:Ollie Watkins’ goal in the 90th minute gave England a 2-1 win over the Netherlands, the late drama in Dortmund sending England to Sunday’s final against Spain.
The Netherlands raced to an early lead in the first 10 minutes with a wonder strike from PSG midfielder Xavi Simons , but Harry Kane’s penalty canceled out the Dutch advantage shortly afterwards.
Things looked headed for extra time until the substitute Watkins scored on a tremendous solo effort as second-half stoppage time was getting underway.
“You might get five minutes, one minute, but you can make a difference, you can win us the tournament,” England captain Harry Kane said postmatch. “And Oli’s been waiting, he’s been patient and what he’s done out there is outstanding. What a finish. I’m so happy for him, he deserves it.”
England has never won the European championship, finishing runner-up in the last edition of the tournament.
“I have no words for this. When you concede so late, it’s terrible,” Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk said after the loss. “This hurts a lot. You give it your all and if it still turns out like that, it sucks.”
The Netherlands will now head home, which might surprise a few as normally, there would be a third-place play-off match.
However, unlike the FIFA World Cup, there will not be a third-place play-off match at Euro 2024.
In fact, there hasn’t been a third-place play-off match since Euro 1980, which took place in Italy.
Source:USA Today with additional reporting by ExpressmailZim
