OK, that’s all for today. Thanks for tuning in. We’ll be back in the morning as we continue all the build-up to Sunday’s final, and unpack any more reaction to the semi-finals.
I’ll leave you with this piece from Rob Draper on Ollie Watkins, charting the striker’s journey from non-league to the hero at the Euro 2024 semi-finals.
See ya!
Some fresh quotes from Cole Palmer, who set up Ollie Watkins for England’s winner against the Netherlands. Based upon performances alone throughout the tournament, there is a very strong case to drop one of Bellingham or Foden (although the latter was obviously excellent against the Dutch) for Palmer, but Southgate will almost certainly stick to the same starting XI against Spain.
Everyone’s buzzing. Last night on the bus tunes were on, changing room, everyone was just enjoying it. But obviously it’s a short turnaround and it’s a massive, massive game to change our lives, our family’s lives, and to make everyone proud. That’s what we’re trying to do.
I think if you’ve got this final then you have to hopefully finish the job. It’s all good getting to the final, and you’ve got to enjoy it because you don’t get many moments to enjoy. But, no, everyone just wants to win so bad.
In the first few games we didn’t play the best that we could and everyone knew that. But now I think as the tournament’s gone on, especially yesterday, I think we had our best game in the tournament, and that’s what you want going into the later stages.It’s huge. We played them last year in the Under-21s final, England versus Spain. Even that was a massive game, so I can’t imagine this one!
Share your experience here.
Haaaaaaaaa.
Only in England. The 47 bus to Bellingham getting serious love after last night’s win 😂👌
— London & UK Street News (@CrimeLdn) July 11, 2024
CC: @lennylevent pic.twitter.com/0yfQSh5uE2
Updated
Here’s what Keir Starmer has had to say on the idea of ‘marking the occasion’, should England do the unexpected.
“I thought Scotland should have had a bank holiday just for qualifying,” continues Will Laidlaw. “As a UK taxpayer, I think we should all benefit from England’s jamminess. Otherwise, like so many unfair things in these grand Isles, it will be a postcode lottery.”
My guess is that Will Laidlaw is from Scotland and that he really, really wants the day off work on Monday. Don’t hold your breath, Will!
England vs Spain
— db 🖤 (@dbcxptures) July 10, 2024
The winner keeps Ibiza.
“Does a bank holiday, if England win, apply to England only, or will the whole of the United Kingdom benefit?”, asks Will Laidlaw.
I’m not an expert on this but surely this would just be for England. I’m not sure Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland would be particularly excited to revel in England’s succcess, should that transpire.
Hello world. Let’s start by looking at the Golden Boot standings. Remarkable that despite him having a tournament to forget, Harry Kane is potentially just one goal away from being named the top scorer at Euro 2024. Spain’s Dani Olmo (three goals, two assists) is in the box seat though.
Also a reminder that there is no third/fourth play-off at the Euros, so that won’t play a part in the above.
I don’t have any way of following that, so I’m going to say goodbye then go and sauna; here’s Michael Butler to chill with you for the next bit.
I mean…
Updated
“My opinion re penalties and inside-the-box fouls,” says David J. Lobina, “partly published by your colleague earlier on, is to go back to how things looked 20 years or so ago: involuntary handballs and dangerous play (including after-the-shot contacts as in the case of Kane) would not get a direct free-kick inside the box instead of a penalty, but an indirect free-kick instead, and on the spot where the foul happened. This used to happen all the time and seems much fairer – England would have got one of those instead of a penalty, and Cucurella would not have escaped scot-free against Germany, which was also a bit unfair (the shot looked dangerous and could have ended as a goal, after all). The odds of scoring those are much lower than those of a penalty (but don’t forget Maradona’s goal against Juventus!).”
F1 has a phrase, “racing incident”, that they use when people bousting cars very fast results in collisions that aren’t necessarily anyone’s fault. Though I probably agree – with regret – that the penalty was correctly awarded, collisions like that always bring to mind that description because, in a game of football, bodies will inevitably mince, and it needn’t be someone’s fault every time.
“If the Dutch defender hadn’t gone in with a studs high challenge,” writes Richard Claydon, “to what degree would have that altered the chance of Kane scoring? If no challenge because the only way to challenge was dangerous, what likelihood he scores because he is unimpeded? No idea of the answer myself, but I think the question is important.”
I don’t think the challenge was a dangerous one and more generally, defenders not making them for fear of conceding a penalty, is absurd and against the spirit of the game – in mine. We’re dealing in fractions of seconds, and though I don’t necessarily mind the award of a penalty where tackles are reckless, when they’re not we shouldn’t punish them so severely.
“That one second of his life will always be special for him as long as he lives and will remain in the collective football conscience forever,” returns Krishnamoorthy V on the topic of Oliver George Arthur Watkins. “It is the ‘We will always have Paris’ moment. I am not sure Mr Watkins has understood the full gravity of what he has achieved last night. I mean I know that he knows - but it will get better in the days to come.”
Absolutely. I did the MBM for a different outlet – not that other outlets exist, of course – and in my call of the goal I said that his life had changed. Really, though, he needs England to win on Sunday and to do the same again – but in the meantime, he’ll be feeling feelings he’s never felt before and will never feel again, his sense of self forever changed.
“While I have sympathy with your argument about some penalties being too severe for the offence that was committed,” says Martin O’Donovan-Wright, “if the law was altered to take into account mitigating or prosecuting factors such as denial of goal-scoring opportunity, wouldn’t this then introduce a subjective opinion by the referee that would predictably lead to all sorts of problems? I know judging what is a foul is also subjective, but now you would have two layers of subjectivity, in the most delicate of circumstances.”
The officials are making this decision every time because they’re deciding whether or not to show a card and if so, which one.
Sky are reporting that Man United are in negotiations to sign Joshua Zirkzee – who got his big chance at the Euros last evening, sent on after Watkins scored. I’m not quite sure what it says about him that Ronald Koeman prefers the goalmachine that is Wout Weghorst; maybe it says more about Koeman.
“Defenders don’t risk a penalty if they ‘make a fair and honest attempt to play the ball,’ reckons Stephen Brown. “The point is that they are penalised no matter how honest or dishonest their intent is if their attempt is unfair. And that is true anywhere on the pitch; a player who makes an honest attempt to play the ball but ends up clattering through the back of the opponent in the centre circle will also give away a foul. A player who makes an honest attempt to play the ball but ends up late and with studs up, will give a way a foul and get a yellow card. Etc.
I take your point about ‘earning’ a goal, but in tennis there is the concept of unforced errors. The corollary of that is that playing well enough to force your opponent into a mistake is good play. And getting to the ball first so and knowing that the opponent is going to trip/kick you anyway is a brave way of forcing their error, and gaining an advantage. In the 18yard box that means a penalty and defenders know that.”
Yes, but my point is that an 85% chance of a goal is too severe a punishment for the most offences that yield one. I don’t think the penalty England got last night, for example, came about because of a defensive error, and I don’t think it’s good for a game whose allure is underpinned in part by how hard it is to score goals, to give them away so cheaply.
“My orange heart” sounds like a summer-lit blockbuster.
“Never before have sporting gods smiled this benevolently on us, the fans, advises Krishnamoorthy V. “Wimbledon Final, followed by Euro final, followed by Copa América final. The three events seamlessly running from Sunday afternoon to early-morning Monday. There will be a strange summer flu affecting millions this Monday who won’t be reporting to work.”
There’s also Le Tour and Le Test – if it’s not already over – and of course, all of the above will covered live by your super, soaraway Grauniad.
Updated
Talking of Portugal, while I understand that Roberto Martínez’s remarkable success with Belgium was irresistible, can they please just get a manger able to assimilate their ridiculous attacking talent into a coherent team? They’ve massively underachieved the last few tournaments, and they’re only getting one more with Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes at their peaks.
Sky have just been showing VT of João Palhinha chatting about his move to Bayern. I must say, I’m a little surprised they’ve paid £42.3m for someone ahed 29, and also that the kind of player they want is the kind of player he is. He’s good, of course, but I’d have thought they’d want a better, quicker passer in his position.
“Claims about foreigners harming the national team has always been [redacted],” says Peter Neal. “Firstly, the high quality foreigners have replaced lower quality english players. The best English players are still there and probably getting better by playing together with top foreign players, as well as coached by top foreign coaches. Any really good English players that do feel displaced can always do what the foreigners have done; move to another league. At long last, some top English players are now doing that. What has always set English national teams back is English insularity,an unwillingness to move abroad or learn other things from abroad. As Ian Rush is supposed to have said: ‘it’s like living in another country’.
I agree with most of this, though I do think there’s less reason for English players to move abroad now because the Premier League is so strong. I’ve actually been wondering if Jude Bellingham will see out his best years at Real Madrid, or if at some point he’ll want to, er … test himself in England.
“If England win on Sunday,” writes Simon McMahon, “I’ll happily take an extra day off, though it’s more likely to be a day of mourning rather than celebration. Sent from Scotland with love.”
As Andy Murray can attest, that’s exactly the way it should be.
“I’ve always liked field hockey’s system for fouls in the D,” says Andrew Hales-Hill, “where you get a penalty corner for any old foul which happens to be near the goal, and a penalty shot for anything egregious. How about a minor foul in the box gets you a direct free-kick from a position of your choosing? Equally, hacking a player down who is clean through should be penalty no matter where on the pitch they do it.”
I agree, proportionality in hockey is better than in football. Ideally, I’d not let the attacking side choose the free-kick location, but I do wonder if taking it from where the offence took place is a workable solution given how close to goal it might get. We probably need to think carefully about that aspect.
Just Delsi-May — or Ruby Washington as she’s known on stage – who also happens to be Ollie Watkins’ mum.
Updated
Earlier, I posted Gareth Southgate’s thoughts on the final, and he mentioned Kieran Trippier’s injury. And I imagine left-back is the only position in which there’s a selection dilemma: England are better with Luke Shaw on the pitch, but is he fit enough to start and is the manager able to leave out a player who’s served him well over a number of years?
England opted not to take a stroll around their hotel gardens before the Spain game in case someone slipped and got injured; Sky’s reporter has just said he can’t imagine that could possibly happen. I dare him to raise that with Jonny Bairstow.
“Has anyone brought up that just last summer we – or those of us who followed it – were celebrating an exciting, young, defensively solid England team beating Spain in the final of the Euros?” wonders Ben Edmunds. “A game that featured our Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon no less. A 1-0 that got us over the line, with dramatic last-minute penalty heroics from young keeper James Trafford. Can we expect more of the same on Sunday?
Should England win, I’d be fairly surprised if the score was 1-0, though I’d not be surprised if Palmer or Gordon contributed off the bench. Spain are good, but dealing with fresh attackers, different in style to those they’ve replaced, when legs are heavy, is not at all easy.
Momentum and brilliant attacking variety are a helluva combo.
“Where would you rank Ollie Watkins goal in the all-time great England goals list?” wonders Alex Williams. “For me, taking into consideration the significance of the match, when it happened, and the level of skill required, it’s arguably number one for me. Hurst’s third for England, which clinched the 1966 World Cup would be the other contender. What else would be on the shortlist? Beckham’s free kick vs Greece, but that was only to qualify for the World Cup. Platt’s volley against Belgium, but that was round of 16. Others?”
The most obvious comparator is Platt’s goal against Belgium, I guess … the most obvious comparator for which was previously Bellingham’s goal against Czech Republic. But I don’t think Platt’s can be beaten because it changed the world: after it, football was never the same again and nor was the UK.
“Had VAR existed in 1993,” writes Dom O’Reilly, “it would have prevented a Dutch goal being wrongly disallowed for offside in the first half at 0-0. Funny how the England football community never mention that.”
I dunno, I think it’s fairly obvious why it’s not mentioned: it was a marginal call, the getting right of which asked the human eye to do something of which it is incapable, not as an egregious an unfathomable an error as can be imagined, compounded by the player who escaped then scoring.
“While agreed that the penalty for innocuous handballs is far too severe,” says Alex Ecob, “I think broadly the penalty punishment is a good one because of its severity. In a low-scoring sport, it’s designed to put the defender at a bit of a handicap, which (should) result in more goals being scored from open play. Happy to revise this opinion based on upcoming events in the final.”
I know what you mean, but we want goals to be earned, I think, and for defenders to able to defend without fear of a ball being kicked against their hand or risking a likely goal if they make a fair and honest attempt to play the ball.
As if we weren’t already bringing you enough working-day sport.
Southgate, Starmer … here’s today’s Football Daily!
Starmer: UK should mark occasion if England win
And he’s not the only one flapping gums:
The UK should “certainly mark the occasion” if England win Euro 2024, Keir Starmer has said amid calls for an extra bank holiday in the event of victory. The prime minister appeared to suggest he would not commit to an extra day off as he said did not want to “jinx anything” by pre-empting the result of Sunday’s final between Gareth Southgate’s team and Spain.
The Liberal Democrats have led calls for an extra bank holiday after England claimed a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands on Wednesday. Starmer previously supported calls for a bank holiday when England’s women’s football team made it to the World Cup final last year.
Asked whether he would back a bank holiday if Southgate’s team is victorious, the prime minister told broadcasters in Washington DC: “We should certainly mark the occasion, I don’t want to jinx it. I went to the last Euros final, I don’t want to go through that again. I don’t want to jinx anything but we must mark it in some way. But the most important thing is getting it over the line on Sunday.”
Updated
Gareth Southgate has been chatting about how Spain might be beaten:
“Well, we have to get the ball off them first!” he said. “It’s not as simple as us having the ball and making them run. I mean, they press very, very well, so we’re going to have to be exceptional with the ball, and we’re going to have to be exceptional without it. But it’s a final, you expect it to be that way. They’ve been the best team. We’re starting to show a better version of ourselves.
On fatigue, he said: “The extra day is a concern. You know, in the last few tournaments that’s been a problem for finalists, so we’ve got to do the very best we can to recover the players as well as we can. But we’re not going to be on the training ground. That’s simple. We’ll be walking through things or delivering things in meetings, which was the same for this game. But we’re in there and with what we’ve shown to this point we have as good a chance as they do.
“The lads are singing in the dressing room, but they’re straight in the ice. There won’t be any wild parties. We’ve had a couple of those already, so we pick our moments for those.”
On the preparedness, he said: “In terms of the experience, of course every game you manage, every tournament you manage, you learn so much. When I took this job I’d had three years as a Premier League manager. I’ve now had 100 internationals, some of the biggest games in world football. You learn all the time from that.
“We’re more calm going into the knockout games because the first time we did it in Russia [at the 2018 World Cup] we hadn’t won a knockout game for 10 years. We hadn’t been through the experience – quarter-finals, semi-finals, you know, we’ve managed a lot of those games now, so you’re definitely much better prepared because every experience you go through you learn from.
“You’re improving all the time, your knowledge, your understanding, so I would say if you’re a coach and you’re not doing that there’d be a problem, really. But the last final was the first final, first European Championship final, I’d ever managed, so if I didn’t get everything right apologies for that but we’ll try and do better this week.”
And on injuries he said Harry Kane “took quite a big knock when he won the penalty”, while Kieran Trippier “had a little bit of a problem” but “could be OK” for Sunday.
“We didn’t want to take any chances and we had it in our minds that bringing Luke into the game with that balance at some point. We’re still deciding how long he could play for, but we felt to be able to bring him into the game and finish with that balance was better than to start it and then have to take him off. We’ll have to see how our Tripps is but, I mean, he’s been an absolute soldier for us. To fill in the way he has and produce the level of performance on the wrong side of the pitch with the injuries he came into the tournament with as well has been absolutely phenomenal.”
Updated
Luis de la Fuente says that England play a different style to Spain: they’re good physically and have players who like to run a lot. He’s right, of course, but he’d do well nor to think that’s all they are. Football is changing and has changed: nowadays, the big lads who don’t mind charging about also have feet and brains.
“I’m old enough to remember when certain pundits were firmly of the opinion that too many foreigners playing in the Premier League explained England’s disappointing tournament performances,” says Tony Clare, “and that England would never produce a squad good enough to challenge for a trophy without a cap on overseas players being introduced. Not many pundits seem to be repeating that twaddle these days. Any idea why?”
I guess in some ways, this reflects a more open society – fewer potentially elite footballers are going undiscovered – and the money in football makes the game a seriously attractive career option for those sufficiently talented. But yes, I agree: players who raise the level inspire and improve those around them. Josh McEachran would not be bossing midfield for England had Chelseas pursued a different transfer policy.
Updated
“If England defeat Spain, there are plans being made for a celebration in London on Tuesday, which would see the squad travel by open-top bus from the Guildhall in the City to Buckingham Palace, where there would be a reception, the Guardian understands.
The players would meet Keir Starmer the day before, with the prime minister expected to attend the final in Berlin on Sunday.”
“Cannot disagree more with the premise that winning knockout matches in adverse circumstances is the sign of a poor or undeserving team,” says John Oswald. “It happily bucks the earlier Southgate trend – in fact, completely inverts the trend – of an England prone to scoring early and conceding late (remember those Croatia and Italy matches). I know which version of England I prefer! They’re building extraordinary resilience as a group and now we should expect them to win if they concede an early goal. I hope...”
I agree with you about resilience, though I think it’s more a factor of loads of great attacking options on the bench. Against Spain, though, it’s a little different, partly because they’re in a different league to any side England have faced so far and partly because the way they play means going behind is a bigger problem in terms of getting enough of the ball to build pressure. But belief in destiny is a powerful thing.
Also going on:
‘Boro’s run to the 2006 Uefa Cup Final isn’t the only Euros parallel,” reckons Paul Thompson. “Lamine Yamal has clearly been watching the video of David Currie’s goal against Newcastle in 1983.”
Ahahaha, I love that!
And to tie it all together, how about the third goal of Jimmy Floyd’s perfect and amazing hat-trick for Chelsea against Spurs in 2002?
I thought Koeman’s interview last evening was really good. He accepted that his team had been outplayed in the first half and when they improved in the second, not looked likely to score. So I’m surprised he’s now whining about VAR – imagine if they’d had it in October 1993 – but if we’re looking at England’s penalty, the real issue isn’t the decision-review system, it’s that a penalty – an 85% chance of a goal – is too severe a punishment for almost every offence that results in one. Denial of a goalscoring opportunity anywhere on the pitch should be a penalty; a foul in the box that doesn’t should be a direct free-kick.
Talking of the Turniermannschaft, 30 years ago yesterday they were diddled by one of the most iconic goals of the 90s. Here are some words on that.
Paul Haynes emails in regarding an earlier discussion: “‘And Alberto writes: Regarding Russell’s mail comparing England’s run to Middlesbrough in the Uefa Cup 2005-06. I know he recognises their captain from that time, but the parallels don’t end there. Did he spot a certain Jesús Navas starting in the final for Sevilla?’
Bit it doesn’t stop there. Who was helping out Soutgate that game? Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, that’s who!”
I very much enjoyed JFH starting to celebrate wildly, them remembering he’s Dutch. But ass to the general point, I’m not in total agreement: Boro were over-matched and under-powered, England are the reverse. With the players they have, they absolutely should be beating all the teams they’ve beaten and absolutely should be in the final. The run is more similar, I think, those we’ve seen from Germany’s Turniermannschaft, tournament team: good players winning games they might’ve lost, growing in strength and certainty through the rounds. And in a way, there’s no higher praise than that.
“In which parallel universe,” begins Krishnamoorthy V, “can a team that has the following scorelines:
1-0 Serbia
1-1 Denmark
0-0 Slovenia
2-1 Slovakia after leaving it very late with a last-minute Jude goal
1-1 Switzerland, won on penalties
2-1 Netherlands, won with a contested penalty and a last-gasp winner
make it to the final and meet Spain who has brushed aside Germany, Italy and France?
They have Yamal - what do we have - A water bottle with a cheat code?”
That’s tournament football – it’s rare that the best side in the group stages is the side dancing about with a trophy at the end of it. Also, I don’t think we can say Spain brushed aside either Germany or France and, more generally, they’re a good side but they’re not brilliant. And England have plenty – including a top-class centre-forward with legitimate alternatives, which Spain do not.
Thanks Yara and afternoon all. It’s been quite a few days hasn’t it? Luckily, everything should relax from here…
That’s all from me today. Thanks so much for your company! I leave you in the capable hands of Daniel Harris to lead you through the afternoon.
Every major international tournament sees a rise in stock to a few players who show what they are capable of on the biggest stage. Who are they this year? And could a move be on the cards for them this summer? Ed Aarons takes a look.
I have received more limericks. Who knew so many poets tuned in to the Guardian’s Euro 2024 news and reaction liveblog? The beautiful duality of football supporters.
Adrian pens:
There was a young lad from the villa
Whose nose for a finish was killer
When played in by Cole
With his back to the goal
He despatched with aplomb, Wat a thriller!
Joe has a go:
There once was a man called Southgate,
Who left substitutions quite late,
But what Watt did last night
Saved his bacon alright
Now on Sunday Gareth makes his fate.
Thank you to Krishna for starting this trend (See post at 11.27am)
Here’s some more non-limerick thoughts I have received.
Tom’s memory serves him well:
Do enjoy reading Koeman’s comments about VAR. Perhaps unsurprising that a man who benefited so greatly from an egregious refereeing error against England in 1993 does not like the idea of on-pitch decisions being overruled. That’s for Rotterdam, Ronald.
David has a suggestion:
As others have mentioned already, if that contact had happened anywhere else on the pitch, it would have been a foul and no-one would have complained. Fair point, but it used to be the case, and I can’t be the only one old enough to remember this, that such fouls, which used to be called dangerous play, as well as many involuntary handballs, would result in an indirect free-kick, an event that has but disappeared from the modern game. Kane did get his shot off fully before the contact, so it does feel unfair to give a penalty for a contact that came after a missed attempt. Didn’t Maradona score an amazing goal against Juventus off an indirect free-kick once?
Ritchie has his say from Amsterdam:
I’m Irish and have had a season ticket at Ajax for the last 5 seasons, including the hellish one just gone. There’s a really typical problem: 4-3-3 leads to the midfield being marked and the in-possession playmaker typically being the centre-back, the only non-pressed player. This meant a whole season of watching Ajax ask their less able passing players to thread precise through balls to the forwards. This was TORTURE to watch and at their worst, the Netherlands sresembled it – how often were the centre-backs in possession and looking to start the attack with 11 players ahead of them?
And Alberto writes:
Regarding Russell’s mail (See post at 11.27am) comparing England’s run to Middlesbrough in the Uefa Cup 2005-06. I know he recognises their captain from that time, but the parallels don’t end there. Did he spot a certain Jesús Navas starting in the final for Sevilla?
Fans may have to stomach a massive bill if they want to see England possibly lift the Euro trophy on Sunday.
The game is sold out on Uefa’s website. A limited number of tickets are available to England Supporters Travel Club members who have been to previous England matches, but most of those now contemplating a trip to Berlin will be looking to the resale market. Tickets for the final could be snapped up for about £2,500 each.
All of Ryanair’s 21 flights from UK airports to Berlin between Thursday and the final are sold out while airlines with spare capacity are charging five times more to travel before the game compared with a week later.
EasyJet’s 12 flights to Berlin from Birmingham, Bristol, Luton and Gatwick between Friday and the match are also fully booked.
On Thursday morning, the airline was charging £918 for a seat on a flight from Gatwick to the German capital on Thursday night, compared with £167 a week later. British Airways was charging £782 to fly from Heathrow to Berlin on Saturday night.
Updated
It was an unforgettable scene at the O2 Arena in London last night when The Killers paused their show to stream the last minutes of England’s win before launching straight into their smashhit Mr Brightside.
Numerous fans shared footage of the moment on social media. The lights were dimmed, and the match’s commentary echoed through the speakers as the game’s final moments were projected behind the band.
At the final whistle, red and white streamers shot into the air from the stage and the band began performing their iconic song, which is the third biggest selling song of all time in the UK.
Possibly the most electric moment of my life. When the Killers livestream the Euros right before England win and they hit us with Mr Brightside. pic.twitter.com/7Hlk4RN19V
— Martin Kimber (@MrMKimber) July 10, 2024
The Killers stopped their show at the O2 tonight to show the final few minutes and whistle of the England victory before launching straight into Mr Brightside. pic.twitter.com/7dVy3e0PPO
— Ned Donovan | فارس دونوفان (@Ned_Donovan) July 10, 2024
Emotional support from fans pic.twitter.com/aoF2bGotmU
— Village_boy 🇹🇿 (@trona07) July 11, 2024
Some more emails on last night’s happenings and the endless possibilities for Sunday.
Russell sees some parallels from eight years ago:
England’s run immediately brought to mind the run Middlesbrough had in Europe in 2006 once they hit the knockout stages. They had to twice force the fine margins against competitive opponents who had their measure, winning on away goals, then had to win two consecutive ties 4-3, coming from behind with last-minute winners. Pretty sure I recognise their captain from that time! Though maybe we won’t dwell on what happened when they faced a Spanish team in the final …
Lee ponders a sliding doors moment:
Whilst there must be some element of pressure relieved on Gareth Southgate after last night’s result and performance – the final is massive. If England win, it’ll be statues, a knighthood, the keys to number 10, 10 million in bitcoin and probably a handful of firstborns in tribute from the endearing public, some of which will have to eat humble pie and accept that when you look at it objectively, he will have to go down as the most successful England manager of all time.
If we lose, then Southgate’s lasting legacy will be (deservedly/undeservedly so depending on the strength of your opinion) one of failure, of a ‘nearly man’, of a manager who despite being presented with the tools and the opportunities to get us over the line after almost 60 years, just couldn’t do it.
For England, and Southgate in particular – Sunday is his opportunity to ascend to Godhood.
And Krishna shares a limerick:
There was this lad from Exeter
So fast, the defenders had to run faster
Cole was even so crazy
And send a pass his way
That Wat dispatched it even quicker
Phil Foden is ready to follow up on his “best game” for England in the final after a slow start to the tournament.
The Manchester City player told PA that he was a bit “unlucky” during his earlier struggles in the team, playing out wide.
I’ve obviously had a few close chances but the main thing is obviously the team winning and I feel like it was probably my best game in an England shirt so I’m delighted.
I feel like the last two games have been improvements, I feel like the position is helping me as well to get on the ball and getting into dangerous areas. I was enjoying it out there, I was picking up spaces and looked more like myself, like I do for City, finding space on the edge of the box and getting shots away, I’m just enjoying my football.
I feel like [the final] is going to be my biggest game in my career. So as you can see, the smile on my face and I’m just looking forward to it. We believe in our ability. We know Spain are a fantastic team in the way they keep the ball but we also know our strengths.So we are looking forward to it and it will definitely change all our lives for sure.
France's François Letexier to referee final
Uefa have announced that François Letexier of France will referee Sunday’s final between Spain and England in Berlin.
At this year’s tournament, he refereed three group stage matches, including Spain v Georgia, Denmark v Serbia and Croatia v Albania and acted as a fourth official at the opening match between Germany and Scotland.
He was the fourth official at the 2024 Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid at Wembley.
Full refereeing team:
Referee: François Letexier (France)
Assistants: Cyril Mugnier (France), Mehdi Rahmouni (France)
Fourth official: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Tomasz Listkiewicz (Poland)
Video Assistant Referee: Jérôme Brisard (France)
VAR Assistant: Willy Delajod (France)
VAR Support: Massimiliano Irrati (Italy)
England have met Spain at men’s senior level 27 times, with 14 wins, three draws and ten losses.
Their last three meetings have been perfectly balanced with a win, a draw and a loss for England.
Ollie Watkins was last night’s star, but two days ago, it was Lamine Yamal. England’s opponent in Sunday’s final will be Spain, whose semi-final win against France saw the 16-year-old became the youngest ever goal scorer at an international tournament.
Spain’s men’s side have won this tournament three times before – 1964, 2008 and 2012. They were runners-up in 1984 and came in third in the 2020 edition that was held in 2021.
England’s semi-final win is most watched programme this year
England’s Euro 2024 semi-final victory over was watched by a peak audience of 20.3 million on ITV, becoming easily the most-watched television programme of the year.
Broadcasters are hoping more than 30 million viewers will watch Sunday night’s final against Spain, based on the numbers that tuned in for England’s defeat in the Euro 2020 final. The overnight viewing figures, provided by the ratings agency Digital-i, do not include the millions of people who were streaming the match on ITVX or watching in public places.
Euro 2024 has shown how sport is one of the few types of broadcasting that still lure people away from streaming services and bring in enormous live audiences, especially when it is free to watch. Even matches not involving the home nations have delivered substantial audiences, with a peak of 11m people watching the Spain v France semi-final on BBC1.
The Euros are one of the UK’s “crown jewels” sporting events - along with other sporting contests such as the football World Cup, Wimbledon, and Olympics - which are required by law to be shown on free-to-air channels.
Some more of your emails on the Netherlands’ shortcomings and alternate universes have come in.
Kári sees as Koeman as the one to blame:
Towards the end of the first half, the Dutch had wrestled control of the match back from the English. If Koeman left Malen on, he would’ve retained a creative front three that could’ve played their way through a tiring defense. But by throwing Weghorst on at half-time, the Oranje were reduced to hoping that a ball bounced off a knee or a rump into goal. The second half was just a dreadful spectacle, and I lay the blame entirely on Koeman. He should’ve put Joshua Zirkzee, Jeremie Frimpong or Micky van de Ven on, just to make something happen, because nothing was happening. What an excruciating watch for a neutral.
Kevin’s reckoning with England making the final:
OK, we’re in an alternate football dimension/universe/space-time continuum right? One where England play badly but win and get into a final. And the most convincing proof – Wout Weghorst, who can barely hit a barn door in the England, comes on as a sub and doesn’t score – I can’t have been the only person thinking ‘Aha, it’s this year’s Helder Postiga, totally ineffective in the Premier League who comes on against England and plays like a dead-eyed sniper’. We’re still going to get battered in the final though aren’t we?
Stephen’s VAR opinion:
I’m honestly a bit confused by the “controversy” surrounding the penalty decision. The defender came in studs up and was late. If it was (as Ian Wright said) anywhere else on the pitch no one would have batted an eye at it being given. Gary Neville’s preposterous suggestion that defenders have a right to be more dangerous in the box is ridiculous. If a defender wants to block a ball, they can do so without doing it studs raised. If the suggestion is that this shouldn’t have been given because it wouldn’t have been before VAR, then frankly, that is a point in favour of VAR.
The Dutch’s support in Germany was some of the best, writes Paul MacInnes, but do they deserve better than the tactics of Ronald Koeman?
The party had begun at about 9am when it quickly became clear that any estimates as to the number of Oranje in Dortmund were way under. By 10am there were people dancing on the streets to techno coming out of an orange pickup truck. By 11am, the bars were full. By 1pm the streets were full too.
Koeman’s substitutions had the effect intended, but the adjustment was something he may have wished to avoid all the same. Gone was the high press and all the intensity off the ball. Gone was much of the sense of attacking threat. Instead the Netherlands were playing like Slovakia and Switzerland had before them, getting numbers behind the ball and looking to prosper from set plays. This is what his critics have held against him.
Here is more on England and Gareth Southgate, this time from Jonathan Wilson.
Football is a capricious game, bedevilled by ironies and paradoxes. England had, finally in this tournament, looked fluent from the off. And for once in this tournament, they were not playing a team who dropped deep into a low block at every opportunity.
There was space for England and they relished passing the ball into it. This was by far their best performance of the tournament. There were backheels and volleys and backheel volleys. Kobbie Mainoo glided about with astonishing confidence and maturity, controlling midfield with the quality of his passing; the idea that at the start of the tournament he was third choice for the role has come to seem vaguely hallucinatory. Phil Foden kept bending left-footed shots at goal. It all felt very unSouthgate: it was thrilling, disconcertingly so.
Keir Starmer and Dick Schoof, prime ministers of England and the Netherlands respectively, took some time during the Nato summit to watch some of the match. They were two out of millions who were watching across London, Amsterdam and the rest of the world.
Picked the right moment to pop out from NATO meetings and check the score...@MinPres pic.twitter.com/gqnCK8ogri
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 10, 2024
Gareth Southgate’s substitutions caught top marks from Nick Ames in his player ratings. Ollie Watkins gets a 9 for his “killer touch” that “sent England into dreamland, and on to Berlin.” Cole Palmer receives a 7 for creating a “glorious winner.” Kobbie Mainoo, who was “the best player on the pitch before half‑time” gets an 8 but Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham each receive a lowly 5.
On the Dutch side of things, Stefan de Vrij gets a 5 for his “critical error of giving Watkins space for trademark finish” as do Donyell Malen and Memphis Depay.
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The emails are well and truly flowing. Here are a few on England.
For Tony, sleep is merely optional in these memorable times:
I’m on my way to Berlin after, what, 2 hours sleep? And still devouring every snippet of detail from media, friends and family. Electric in the stadium last night. Spain will be really hard but we’re in it and it’ll be a blast.
Phil shares a fun stat:
England have made the final despite never leading after 90 mins in any of their knockout games. Watkins’ goal was right at the start of injury time. I’m working on a theory that Southgate has identified protecting a lead is the team’s weakness, and so makes sure we don’t take one until very late in the game!
Tom from Leeds joins the rest of the world in giving Ollie Watkins his flowers:
In my opinion, Watkins would be the starting centre forward for every other national team in the world, with the exception of maybe Germany (due to how they play with Havertz) and Argentina (Álvarez/Martinez doing Messi’s work). France would play Watkins in a heart beat instead of Thuram/Kolo Muani, and just imagine Spain with Watkins leading the line instead of Morata (Morata has had a good tournament, but Watkins’ conversion rate and sharpness would be much more effective).
Watkins to start in the final, running in behind the high Spanish back line whenever (if ever!) we steal the ball in midfield??? It won’t happen, but it’s a lovely thought nonetheless.
Neil is enjoying the golden years
I was aware as a Liverpool fan last season that there was a good chance I was witnessing the ending of the best Liverpool era I’d see in my lifetime. It might never be so good again. It occurred to me last night the same might be true here. This Southgate era might be the best England spell of my lifetime. For that we should all be grateful and hoping it gets imprinted with a tournament win that this period of success would be defined by.
And Duncan is already looking towards how England can beat Spain on Sunday:
We are one win away from Sir Gareth Southgate. He deserves huge credit for carefully reinventing the spirit and effectiveness of the England team. I am sure he has several plans to beat Spain, but one of mine would be capitalising on free kicks and corners to create (and take) headed chances. France scored with a header but also wasted two or three glorious chances in the air.
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Gareth Southgate has been under the biggest of microscopes in Germany. Fans and media have heavily disagreed with his tactics and in-game decisions. But his side are in a successive Euros final.
Here is some of Barney Ronay’s assessment from Dortmund:
Patience has been a slow-burn virtue at this European finals tournament. And it was Southgate’s two late subs who won the game here.
Arguably this tournament will now stand as his greatest achievement with England, if only because he has had to overcome two additional things: his own tactical mistakes, and also the absurd white noise around him, anti-support, a self-sustaining cycle of bad news.
That toxicity is a function of wider politics, free-floating rage, an extraordinary few years in the country generally. Southgate’s own politics have faded. He seems a little careworn and bruised. He has been a unique public figure over the past eight years, a kind of beacon of centrist dad-ness, the handsome middle-aged man with the courteous, moderate manner.
The full evaluation from our chief sports writer is here.
A delighted England captain …
And a despondent Dutch one.
Ronald Koeman: VAR is ‘destroying’ football
The Dutch manager was not pleased with the decision to award England a penalty in the 18th minute. The video assistant referee cited a challenge by the defender Denzel Dumfries on Harry Kane. The referee Felix Zwayer then reviewed the challengs and awarded a spot kick, which Kane scored.
This is not a penalty. [Dumfries’] only intention was to block a shot. Harry Kane then shoots and their feet collide.
Football is getting destroyed by these type of decisions by VAR. This penalty would not have been given in England. What should you do as a defender? I thought the referee whistled for a lot of silly things, but that’s not why we lose.
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What the papers say: Olé, Olé, Ollie!
The special night is celebrated across Thursday’s UK newspapers.
The final seconds of the nail-biting match are captured in all their glory across the Guardian’s back page. England celebrate, assured of victory, while the Netherlands look on despondently. “Olé, Olé, Ollie!” is the headline.
Guardian Sport: Olé, Olé, Ollie! #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/ZEhLicreBa
— George Mann (@sgfmann) July 10, 2024
Other newspapers opted for a play on words: “Oh, Wat a night!” and “Wat a finish!”
The mood back in the Netherlands is slightly more dampened. AD Sportwereld, a Dutch sporting newspaper, writes “This hurts”, with a photo of Xavi Simons commiserating as the final whistle is blown.
De cover van AD Sportwereld van donderdag 11 juli. Daarin alles over de halve finale tussen Nederland en Engeland, de etappezege van Jonas Vingegaard in de Tour de France, een portret van de Spaanse bondscoach Luis de la Fuente en de columns van Sjoerd Mossou en Thijs Zonneveld pic.twitter.com/ccpFJhxZNF
— AD.nl/sportwereld (@ADSportwereld) July 10, 2024
Catch up on all the papers here.
Ollie Watkins: 'I have been waiting for that moment for weeks'
The night’s hero was understandably emotional at full-time. Here is what he said in his post-match interview straight after the final whistle.
On making the final:
Unbelievable. I have been waiting for that moment for weeks. For weeks. For weeks. It has taken a lot of hard work to get to where I am today. I am grateful that I got the opportunity and I grabbed it with both hands. I am delighted.
On his goal:
I swear on my life, my kids’ life, I said to Cole Palmer ‘We’re coming on today, and you’re going to set me up’. And that’s why I was so happy. I knew as soon as he got the ball he was going to play it to me. You got to be greedy. Touch and finish. When I seen it go into the bottom corner … Oh, it’s the best feeling ever.
On Gareth Southgate’s substitutions:
Look, there has been a lot of criticism but at the end of the day we’re in the final. That’s all that matters. So forget all the outside noise. We’re in the final.
On this team:
We’ve got that bounce-back factor, going goals behind. But we seem to kick into gear. We never give up. We’ve won on penalties. We’ve won from behind. One more game now. One more game.
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This tournament has been filled with so many up and downs for England, it is hard to believe that they’re now in this position.
But they’re in a final. The rabbits keep coming out of the hat.
Here is Jacob Steinberg’s assesment from the BVB Stadion in Dortmund on how England got over the line last night.
There is something magical about a team that can keep taking blows but somehow find ways to clamber off the canvas. For here, after the wonder of Jude Bellingham’s overhead kick against Slovakia and the nerveless penalty shootout against Switzerland, was a moment that will go stand the test of time – and, thanks to Ollie Watkins and Cole Palmer, will forever serve as the perfect riposte to those who have pinned the blame for every disappointment on on Southgate’s in-game management.
England’s manager has been derided, mocked and even showered with empty cups of beer. His tactics have been questioned and he has been told that he always get easy draws But when Southgate turned to his bench with 10 minutes left here, how satisfying it must have been for the two players he introduced for a tiring Harry Kane and Phil Foden to be the architects of the goal that carried England into their first ever final overseas.
There could be no better exhibition of the spirit instilled by Southgate when Watkins took a pass from Palmer in the 90th minute, held off Stefan de Vrij and then turned sharply before making it 2-1 with an angled shot into the far corner.
In a different environment, Watkins would never have been in the right frame of mind to make such a stunning impact. The Aston Villa striker has not played since England’s second game, the dispiriting draw with Denmark that heaped pressure on Southgate, and knows that few jobs in football are more thankless than being Kane’s back-up.
Read the full match report here.
Preamble
Yes, it was all real. No, it was not a figment of your imagination. England really did make a European Championship final last night. That is now back-to-back Euro finals and a first ever major tournament final on foreign soil for the England men’s team.
There is so much to discuss. How good is Ollie Watkins? (Very) How decisive were Gareth Southgate’s substitutions? (Very!) Was VAR a talking point? (Obviously) Can the Three Lions get over the line on Sunday? (Maybe …)
Like I said, so much to discuss. No need to waste anymore time. Join me for all the latest news and reaction. And feel free to drop me a mail if you’d like to share your thoughts, questions, celebrations, complaints and musings.
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