England vs. Netherlands final score: Euro 2024 semifinal result as last-gasp Watkins fires Three Lions into final

Ollie Watkins came off the bench to fire a magnificent last-minute winner and send England into the Euro 2024 final with a 2-1 win over the Netherlands in Dortmund.

The Dutch drew first blood in the bid to face a swashbuckling Spain on Sunday through Xavi Simons’ excellent seventh-minute strike.

Harry Kane levelled after a fortuitous VAR decision resulted in an England penalty. The Three Lions proceeded to dominate the first half, with Phil Foden having a shot cleared off the line before hitting the post.

Gareth Southgate has often been criticised for his tactical timidity but he moved decisively towards the end of a tense second half, sending on Watkins and Cole Palmer for Kane and Foden. As the clock ticked on to 90, Watkins found a magnificent finish on the end of Palmer’s pass to book England's men their first-ever place in a major final on foreign soil.

OLLIE WATKINS IN THE 90TH MINUTE FOR ENGLAND 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🔥😱 pic.twitter.com/X8ToEGShLz

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 10, 2024

England matches have hardly been appointment viewing at Euro 2024 but this game ignited when Simons dispossessed Declan Rice and thrashed into the top corner from outside the box.

That goal came against the run of play, but it would be hard to argue Southgate’s side earned the fortune that allowed their equaliser. Denzel Dumfries collided with Kane after the Three Lions captain fired a volley over the bar. Referee Felix Zwayer was advised to review the pitchside monitor and pointed to the spot.

Kane drilled his third goal of the tournament unerringly past Bart Verbruggen, who was then nutmegged by Foden and spared as Dumfries cleared the Manchester City star’s effort in the nick of time.

Dumfries and Foden continued their eventful halves, as the Inter Milan right-back headed Simons’ right-wing corner against the crossbar before the England playmaker rattled the left post with a wonderful 25-yard effort.

FODEN OFF THE POST 😵‍💫

England is knocking on the door for another 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/tuLlMIoaJN

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 10, 2024

Chances were harder to come by after the break, as Wout Weghorst gave the Netherlands an attacking outlet and they closed up the midfield spaces where Foden and Kobbie Mainoo had thrived. England weren’t always on top of the Dutch set-piece threat and Jordan Pickford saved smartly from Virgil van Dijk in the 65th minute.

Bukayo Saka had a goal ruled out for a razor-thin offside against Kyle Walker, who was slotted down the line by Foden. That was his final involvement before making way for the double substitution and a blockbuster ending few would dare to script. Not everyone, though.

"I swear on my life, my kid's life, I said to Cole Palmer, 'we're coming on today and you're gonna set me up'," an ecstatic Watkins said pitchside as he clutched the man-of-the-match award. Spain are favourites for Sunday but will hope the Aston Villa star is out of premonitions. 

MORE: Euro 2024 schedule and results, updated LIVE | Updated list of top goal scorers at Euro 2024 | How to watch all the Euro 2024 action 

England vs. Netherlands final score

Venue: Signal Iduna Park (Dortmund)

Referee: Felix Zwayer (Germany)

Lineups:

England (3-4-2-1): 1. Pickford (GK) — 2. Walker, 5. Stones, 6. Guehi — 7. Saka, 26. Mainoo, 4. Rice, 12. Trippier (3. Shaw) — 11. Foden (24. Palmer), 10. Bellingham — 9. Kane (19. Watkins).

Netherlands (4-3-3): 1. Verbruggen (GK) —  22. Dumfries, 6. De Vrij, 4. Van Dijk, 5. Ake — 24. Schouten, 7. Simons, 14. Reijnders — 18. Malen (9. Weghorst), 10. Depay (16. Veerman), 11. Gakpo.

MORE: Jude Bellingham's Euro 2024 stats

England vs. Netherlands stats

England vs. Netherlands live updates, highlights from Euro 2024

Fulltime

It's all over. England reach their first major final on foreign soil in their history. Ollie Watkins will never buy a drink again in his life. England have huffed and puffed in this tournament but they were fabulous after going behind in the first half tonight. Koeman blocked up the midfield and the Dutch looked more likely but Southgate, contrary to the usual criticism of him, was bold. He hooked a flagging Kane, sent Watkins on to win it and the Aston Villa star did just that. They'll be underdogs against Spain on Sunday. But stranger things have happened. Thanks for joining us.

90 mins+3: Two added minutes have been signalled but we haven't restarted yet. Gallagher on for Mainoo, Konsa on for Saka. Zirkzwee and Brobbey come on to try and salvage it for the Netherlands. Dumfries and Simons the men off.

90 mins: GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!! Ollie Watkins!!!!!

Stunning finish from the Aston Villa man that has surely won it for England! Touch, turn, unerring finish past Verbruggen. Sensational centre-forward play.

88 mins: Glorious cross-field pass from Saka. Shaw's low delivery for Watkins is just as good. It breaks to Palmer, who curls over.

87 mins: Veerman whips it towards Van Dijk. He wants a corner. It looks like it came off Stones. Goal kick is the decision and Van Dijk has talked his way into the book.

85 mins: Another scampering Dutch break. Saka fouls Gakpo and is booked. Another set piece for England to defend.

84 mins: The Netherlands get out of England's press superbly and now Reijnders is down the left. He looks for Weghorst, Guehi loses his footing but recovers to make a vital challenge.

80 mins: That's Foden's last involvement as he makes way for Palmer, while Watkins replaces Kane.

79 mins: GOOOAAA...NO! Foden slips the ball to Walker, Saka dispatches the low cross with aplomb. The flag goes up.

77 mins: Simons on the volley as England half-clear a cross from the left. He can't catch this one as cleanly as his goal, though. It's into the turf and then Pickford's arms. Watkins and Palmer coming on for England.

74 mins: Netherlands go long, brilliant forward play from Weghorst. He helps it on to Gakpo, who finds himself on the receiving end of a trademark Walker recovery challenge.

72 mins: Bellingham thunders into a 50/50 and De Vrij gets there first. A yellow card from his old buddy Zwayer.

69 mins: Ake heads at Pickford but the referee has blown because Weghorst is up to all sorts of nonsense with Rice.

68 mins: Gakpo flings in a cross from the left and Pickford has to punch behind with pressure at the far post.

65 mins: Van Dijk! Excellent save from Pickford. Veerman's ball is a teasing beauty in between the backline and the goal. Van Dijk stabs goalwards under pressure and Pickford pushes behind. Another free header for Dumfries from the corner but it's well over this time.

64 mins: Now Guehi fouls Simons. Veerman will probably pump this into the box.

63 mins: Koeman has definitely put the breaks on England here. Your move, Gareth. Guehi chips out of play as orange shirts close off his options. Orange shirts in the crowd roar.

61 mins: Good defensive phase from the Netherlands as England look frustrated for the first time tonight. Now they break and the attack ends with Veerman spamming a cross out of play. Weghorst, very much exuding man-character energy, is furious Dumfries didn't look for him earlier.

58 mins: Walker pings a line-breaking pass into Kane but De Vrij intervenes superbly.

56 mins: Weghorst's ability with his feet dropping deep to link play has been the standout feature of his performance so far, rather than his aerial prowess. All in good time.

53 mins: England still in control, Foden still taking up some dangerous positions. Weghorst drops in to launch a Dutch counterattack but it falls apart. That looked like a team flagging from chasing the ball around, a little bit.

Kickoff: 2nd Half

We're back and both coaches have pulled their ace cards off the bench. Shaw is on for Trippier to give England natural width down the left, while Weghort is on for Malen. The big Dutchman has already given a foul away and had an argument with Walker. Fantastic.

Halftime

Can't say I expected to be saying this, but what a brilliant half of football. Xavi Simons' superb goal gave the Netherlands the lead against the run of play. England deserve to be level, whether they deserved a penalty for what was apparently a foul by Denzel Dumfries on Harry Kane is another matter. Anyway, Kane dispatched the kick with aplomb for his third of the tournament. Dumfries cleared one off the line from Phil Foden, then hit the England bar before Foden hit the post. All keeping up? Good!

45+3 mins: Ake tirelessly keeps a Dutch attack going, sliding around Walker to keep the ball in play. He then gets too much on the resulting cross.

45 mins: More and more England pressure. This is their best half of the tournament by miles. It ends with Verbruggen pouching a Trippier cross. Three minutes to be added, which is all down to the VAR incident.

39 mins: More lovely combination play between Mainoo and Foden. The latter goes low this time and Verbruggen holds on for a pretty smart save on the greasy surface.

37 mins: Gakpo pops up over towards the right and the Netherlands have men over. Excellent recovery tackle from Mainoo!

35 mins: Depay's race is run, he's off with an injury. Veerman into the action and maybe a change of shape from the Dutch to combat England's midfield dominance.

32 mins: FODEN HITS THE POST! Oh my word, that would have been a goal-of-the-tournament contender. A fizzing spell of England pressure crescendos with Foden wrapping his boot around one from 25 yards and rattling the outside of the left upright.

FODEN OFF THE POST 😵‍💫

England is knocking on the door for another 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/tuLlMIoaJN

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 10, 2024

30 mins: Dumfries hits the crossbar! The right-back has certainly had a lively opening to this contest! Superb leap and he powers a header against the top of the bar.

29 mins: Rice joins the England attack but that means space in behind him as Depay breaks for the Netherlands, he looks for Malen and Walker comes hurtling in to make the challenge. Corner.

23 mins: Oh my word, Dumfries off the line! Mainoo hits the Manchester combination with Foden, who appears to get the ball stuck under his feet. But they're sparkling feet and he dances through trouble, nutmegs Verbruggen and Dumfries races around to save his team!

OOOHHHH MY GOODNESS 😱

THIS COULDN'T HAVE BEEN CLOSER FOR ENGLAND 🤯 pic.twitter.com/wuZRsQC6rQ

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 10, 2024

18 mins: GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLL!!!! Harry Kane (pen)!!!!!!!

Verbruggen guesses correctly but Kane drills an unstoppable kick into the bottom left corner. The VAR review really makes it feel like a bit of a gift, but as they did in the quarterfinal, England hit back quickly after going behind.

17 mins: Dumfries booked as well. The game's gone, etc etc. Kane was off the field when England scored five-from-five in their shootout against Switzerland but he will take this one here. He looks at the spot on this sodden surface...

16 mins: VAR penalty check! Well, well. That Dumfries challenge is going to be checked, Zwayer over to the monitor. This would be harsh...but it's a penalty to England!

PENALTY FOR ENGLAND 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

After review a penalty is awarded to England ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/xkmkgCq9fz

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 10, 2024

14 mins: Kane again! Saka shuffles into the Netherlands area, his shot is blocked and Kane smacks over acrobatically on the volley from the rebound. The Englands skipper took a whack from Dumfries following through for his troubles.

13 mins: Kane digs a strike out from 25 yards. Decent effort and Verbruggen pushes it away from the bottom left corner.

12 mins: Trippier delivers, clever ball to the far post but Rice can't find Kane with his knockback.

11 mins: Foden free-kick after Bellingham took a stray boot to the head. His club-mate Ake heads clear but England are back on the Netherlands and Saka wins another foul.

7 mins: GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!!!! Xavi Simons!!!!

Screamer from Simons and lift-off for the Dutch! Simons picks Rice's pocket just inside the final third, England's defence retreats and the RB Leipzig midfielder unleashes a strike into the top corner. Pickford looked like he might have got a touch but that was a brutal hit.

MY GOODNESS XAVI SIMONS 😱🇳🇱

Netherlands takes a 1-0 lead over England 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1FW2Qr4zmv

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 10, 2024

6 mins: England's tournament in microcosm. Saka snaps into a challenge to dispossess Gakpo, swaps passes with Kane, who is fouled but the referee plays advantage. Looks to the left... and there's absolutely no one there.

4 mins: The Dutch play through England's high press. Simons looks for Malen darting through the middle but Guehi and Walker close the door.

3 mins: Foden loses his footing slightly before being fouled by Schouten. An early sign that the pre-match rain might not have been ideal for the playing surface.

2 mins: Early signs that England will be circumspect as the Netherlands pass the ball around at the back and the wingbacks don't join the press.

Kickoff: 1st Half

Kobbie Mainoo, the youngest England player ever to start a major semifinal, gets us underway.

4 mins before kickoff: Here are the players and it's time for the anthems. As you'd expect on an occasion like this inside one of European football's great cathedrals, the atmosphere is cacophonic. 

8 mins before kickoff: Captains Kane and Van Dijk have a final pre-match taking to from referee Zwayer. The rest of the players are in the tunnel. Southgate comes out to applaud the Englanf fans amid the pre-match pyrotechnics. They're outnumbered by a sea of orange in Dortmund tonight.

20 mins before kickoff: Koeman just spoke to UK broadcaster ITV and highlighted ball possession and looking to get in between the lines as being key to the Netherlands game plan. That might be music to Southgate's ears, who has frequently mentioned how England have been forced to operate against deep-lying defences on their often-turgid run to the semifinals. That won't be the case tonight.

The much-discussed issue of England's non-existent left side will rear its head again because there will be space to attack down there as Dumfries joins the Dutch attack at every opportunity. Bellingham pulled out to that zone a lot against Switzerland and he could have some joy coming in from the left-hand side.

40 mins before kickoff: As you can see in those lineups, from Simons and Reijnders to Mainoo and Foden, there are a decent number of midfielders who like to pop slick passes about. Just prior to the team's warmups it started absolutely throwing it down in Dortmund, so it'll be interesting to see how the playing surface pulls up. Remember the game between Germany and Denmark at this stadium earlier in the tournament was briefly suspended due to a thunderstorm.

Warm-ups in full swing 🔋 pic.twitter.com/j0zdZnEflz

— England (@England) July 10, 2024

1 hour before kickoff: Similarly no surprises from Koeman. Donyell Malen's impressive form from the bench has earned a start on the right of the front three, where he'll be supported by Denzel Dumfries bombing on from right-back.

1 hr 10 mins before kickoff: The England team is in and it's as we expected. Guehi in for Konsa and Trippier keeps his place ahead of Shaw.

1 hr 20 mins before kickoff: The England players are milling about on the Signal Iduna Park pitch, Declan Rice holding court with a beaming smile looking nothing like a man a little over an hour away from one of the biggest games of his life. Confirmed team news will be with us shortly. Marc Guehi coming in for Ezri Konsa is expected to be Southgate's only change, with the Crystal Palace man back from suspension. That would mean Kieran Trippier being retained on the left flank despite Luke Shaw impressing from the bench against Switzerland. It was the Manchester United left-back's first appearance for five months.

1 hr 40 mins before kickoff: During that 2019 win for the Dutch, Frenkie de Jong was magnificent and produced the sort of dictating midfield performance that has so often proved to be England's Achilles heel on these occasions, a year on from Luka Modric in Moscow and two years prior to Marco Verratti at Wembley. De Jong's injury absence could come to feel huge tonight, especially if England's midfield "box" of Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham can build on some of their promising work against Switzerland in the previous round. It might not be thrilling too often, but Southgate has tried to build a team designed to avoid the sort of going over they endured from De Jong in Guimaraes.

2 hours before kickoff: A far more relevant previous meeting so far as this game is concerned came in 2019 in a rain-lashed Guimaraes. The Netherlands, during Koeman's first tenure, beat Southgate's England 3-1 after extra time the semifinals of the inaugural UEFA Nations League. Marcus Rashford put the Three Lions ahead with a first-half penalty but, in a reverse emblematic of most setbacks in Southgate's successful reign, they were pushed back, lost control of the game and conceded an equaliser from Matthijs de Ligt. Awful defending in extra time led to a Quincy Promes double for the Oranje.

2 hrs 20 mins before kickoff: The last time these two sides met at a major tournament, hosts England ran out 4-1 winners in the Euro 96 group stage at Wembley, a performance that is still remembered as one of the Three Lions' finest. Gareth Southgate played in defence for Terry Venables' England that night and told the BBC this week that he did not reflect on the 90 minutes as fondly as some of his former teammates as he "spent the evening chasing Dennis Bergkamp around". A repeat performance from his team tonight would very arguably be Southgate's finest hour.

1996 - Tonight will be the first meeting between England and the Netherlands at a major tournament since the Three Lions won 4-1 at EURO 96 at Wembley, a match that Gareth Southgate featured in. Memories. pic.twitter.com/5syKtiztga

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 10, 2024

2 hrs 40 mins before kickoff: Talking of pain, Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman occupies a particular place within the complex beast that is the English football psyche. In a crucial World Cup qualifier in October 1993, Koeman should have been sent off for a professional foul on David Platt in Rotterdam. He wasn't and opened the scoring with a brilliant free-kick a few moments later. The Netherlands won 2-0 and qualified for the 1994 World Cup in the USA. England didn't.

MORE: Everything to know about Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman

3 hours before kickoff: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of England vs. the Netherlands in the second Euro 2024 semifinal. It's 36 years of hurt vs. 58 years of hurt. Who's in for more pain?

Goal - TONEY
Assist - PICKFORD#threelions pic.twitter.com/dWaLnR7El4

— England (@England) July 9, 2024

England vs. Netherlands kickoff time

This Euro 2024 semifinal kicks off from the Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday, July 10 at 9 p.m. local time in Dortmund, Germany.

Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe:

England vs. Netherlands lineups, team news, starting 11

Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman has stuck with the same starting line-up for both of his side's knockout games so far, but there could be a change in the offing.

Steven Bergwijn has been unimpressive on the right wing and loses his place to Donyell Malen, who bagged a quickfire brace in the last-16 against Romania.

With RB Leipzig's playmaking sensation Xavi Simons supporting behind Memphis Depay and Liverpool's Cody Gakpo posing a serious danger on the left wing, notching three goals in his five Euro 2024 outings, the Dutch have deployed a fluid 4-2-3-1 formation. Super-sub Wout Weghorst is the go-to option off the bench.

Netherlands starting lineup (4-3-3): Verbruggen (GK) —  Dumfries, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Ake — Schouten, Simons, Reijnders — Malen, Depay, Gakpo.

Netherlands subs (max 15): Bijlow (GK), Flekken (GK), Geertruida, De Ligt, Wijnaldum, Weghorst, Frimpong, Van de Ven, Veerman, Blind, Brobbey, Maatsen, Zirkzee, Bergwijn, Gravenberch.

For England, Luke Shaw made his long-awaited return from injury as he came on in the second half of the quarterfinal against Switzerland but Kieran Trippier keeps his starting place on the left flank.

Harry Kane was forced off in extra time on Sunday with an injury picked up during the game and has been short of his best despite two goals at Euro 2024. Nevertheless, Gareth Southgate keeps faith with his captain as expected.

The Three Lions welcome back Marc Guehi from his one-game ban despite Ezri Konsa impressed in his absence last time out.

England starting lineup (3-4-2-1): Pickford (GK) — Walker, Stones, Guehi — Saka, Mainoo, Rice, Trippier — Foden, Bellingham — Kane.

England subs (max 15): Ramsdale (GK), Henderson (GK), Shaw, Alexander-Arnold, Konsa, Dunk, Gallagher, Toney, Gordon, Watkins, Bowen, Eze, Gomez, Palmer, Wharton.

England vs. Netherlands live stream, TV channel

USA: England vs. Netherlands will be televised in the United States on FOX, while Spanish TV broadcasts are provided by Univision and TUDN. These channels are all available to stream on Fubo, who are offering a FREE seven-day trial. ViX is also an option for Spanish viewers.

Radio coverage of the match can be followed on SiriusXM FC.

UK: Wednesday's match will be shown in the UK on ITV 1 / STV Scotland and fans can stream on ITVX / STV Player.

Canada: TSN are the main English-language broadcasters for Euro 2024 while TVA provides French options.

Australia: Australia's sole broadcaster for the European Championship is Optus Sport. 

India: Euro 2024 matches are available to watch on JioTV and Sony LIV. England vs. Netherlands can also be viewed on Sony Ten Network on TV.

If this match is not available to watch live in your location, or if you're traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs offer a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.

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