After nervously edging through the first two knockout rounds, England now aim to reach successive European Championship finals, as they meet the Netherlands in Wednesday’s second Euro 2024 semi-final.
A high-stakes showdown in Dortmund determines which team progresses to Sunday’s decider, where either France or Spain will await.
Through to a third major tournament semi-final in four attempts – but only by the skin of their teeth – England have become a regular fixture at the sharp end of both Euros and World Cups without claiming the prize, so only silverware will do for Gareth Southgate‘s squad this summer.
The Three Lions reached a fourth European Championship semi-final overall by seeing off Switzerland in last week’s quarter-finals, despite trailing to a late Breel Embolo goal heading towards the final whistle in Dusseldorf.
Bukayo Saka sensationally equalised to force extra time, and spot kicks were ultimately required to decide the outcome of a finely-balanced battle. England went on to clinically dispatch all five of their penalties and Jordan Pickford saved from Manuel Akanji, so for the second round running, Southgate’s side squeezed through.
Having previously limped through the group phase, then required Jude Bellingham‘s stunning strike to spark a fightback against Slovakia, it has been a far from convincing journey to this point – but results are all that matter in knockout football.
Southgate’s 101st game in charge will see England try to become just the sixth team to make consecutive European Championship finals, and a familiar foe stands between them and a place in Sunday’s showpiece in Berlin.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Three Lions now face a fourth major-tournament meeting with the Netherlands: the Oranje won 3-1 en route to glory at Euro ’88, thanks to a Marco van Basten hat-trick, then a forgettable goalless draw at the 1990 World Cup was followed by a famous 4-1 England win in 1996.
However, having won just one of the nations’ last nine meetings in all competitions, precedent is not on the side of an English team packed with attacking talent but yet to find rhythm or inspire confidence among their fans.
The most recent of those nine encounters also came in a semi-final, with the Netherlands winning 3-1 after extra time in the UEFA Nations League – both Southgate and Ronald Koeman were in the dugouts on that occasion too.
KOEMAN’S MEN
Seeking their second European title, after lifting the Henri Delaunay trophy in Germany 36 summers ago, Koeman’s men are making their way through the so-called ‘weaker’ half of the draw, having only emerged from Group D in third place.
Following victory over Poland, a draw with France, and an eventful defeat to Austria, the Oranje were handed a relatively kind last-16 tie against Romania, in which they ultimately ran out 3-0 winners.
However, a squad led by captain Virgil van Dijk will attempt to win just a second European Championship semi-final tie for the Netherlands; and with a dismal record of four losses from the previous five, the burden of history weighs heavily on their shoulders.
PREDICTION
While each game sees a fresh page written, England’s history against their Dutch counterparts has been littered with defeats: of all nations they have faced more than 20 times to date, only versus Brazil do they have a lower win-rate (27%).
That trend could continue in the Euro 2024 semi-finals, as the Oranje’s talented attackers are starting to click and will surely punish another tame Three Lions performance. If Southgate’s side cannot improve, they are set to miss out on the final.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
