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.
Written by Jacob Steinberg at BVB Stadion, Dortmund
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/article/2024/jul/10/netherlands-england-euro-2024-semi-final-match-report under the title “Ollie Watkins’ bolt from blue stuns Netherlands and sends England to final”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
