England and the Netherlands face each other on Wednesday in the semi-finals of Euro 2024, with the winner going through to the final on Sunday against Spain.
Pre-tournament favourites England have scored just five goals in five games, needing late equalisers to force extra time in eventual knockout stage victories over Slovakia and Switzerland. The Netherlands beat Romania 3-0 in the round of 16 and Turkey 2-1 in the quarter-finals to set up their clash with England.
“We are here for a reason, the Netherlands are here for a reason and may the best team win,” said England midfielder Declan Rice.
England have never won the European Championship, but finished second in 2020. The Netherlands won the tournament in 1988.
Follow us for live updates from Wednesday’s match in Dortmund:
REST: England 1, Netherlands 1
Harry Kane’s 18th-minute penalty cancelled out Xavi Simons’ brilliant early goal. Both teams had chances to score throughout the first half.
This is the best England have seen so far at Euro 2024, with Phil Foden taking a more proactive role in the Three Lions’ attack. England had 60% possession in the first 45 minutes and had seven shots to the Netherlands’ three.
Denzel Dumfries’ wild first half
After committing a foul that gave England an equaliser, Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries remained in the thick of the action, clearing the ball from the goal line and then heading it onto the crossbar from a corner.
Goal! Harry Kane penalty makes it 1-1
After VAR determined that Denzel Dumfries had fouled Harry Kane while attempting to shoot, Kane stepped up to the penalty spot in the 18th minute and scored the equaliser.
Kane, England’s all-time leading scorer, failed to convert a penalty in the quarter-final win over Switzerland and infamously missed a spot-kick that would have levelled the 2022 World Cup quarter-final against France.
Goal! Xavi Simons scores early for the Netherlands
The Netherlands took the lead in the seventh minute when Xavi Simons scored with a rocket from outside the penalty area after England had given the ball away.
Simons, 21, plays for Paris Saint-Germain and spent last season with RB Leipzig in Germany.
England-Netherlands Euro 2024 semi-final has started
The second semi-final of Euro 2024 kicked off at 21:00 local time in Dortmund. England and the Netherlands will battle it out for a place in the final on Sunday against Spain.
England vs Netherlands lineup
Defender Marc Guehi returns for England after missing the quarter-final through suspension, replacing Ezri Konsa.
England: Jordan Pickford; Kyle Walker, Marc Guehi, John Stones, Kieran Trippier; Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Bukayo Saka; Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Harry Kane (c)
The Netherlands: Bart Verbruggen; Denzel Dumfries, Virgil van Dijk (c), Stefan de Vrij, Nathan Ake; Donyell Malen, Cody Gakpo, Memphis Depay
How to watch England vs Netherlands
Wednesday’s England-Netherlands match will be broadcast on FOX and can be streamed via FoxSports.com or Fubo.
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England vs Netherlands odds
Odds via BetMGM
Regular time result:
- Netherlands wins: +200
- England Wins: +170
- Draw: +180
To go on
- Netherlands: +100
- England: -125
England vs. Netherlands Prediction
Jim Reineking: Netherlands 2, England 1 – When will England’s inevitable stranglehold in a major international tournament come? They had to sweat out wins over Slovakia in the round of 16 (two very late goals to win) and Switzerland in the quarter-finals (in a penalty shootout). Well, England’s luck will run out against the Netherlands on Wednesday. Led by Golden Boot contender Cody Gakpo, the Netherlands have so far shown a stronger attack than England (nine goals to the Three Lions’ five) and that will make the difference between reaching Sunday’s final against Spain.
Jesse Yomtov: England 1, Netherlands 1 (ENG wins on penalties) – Say what you will about England’s crawl to the semi-finals, but the team showed incredible determination in their two knockout round victories to grab late equalisers and force extra time against Slovakia and Switzerland. This match should be more open than some of England’s other games in this tournament and you can expect the Three Lions to look more dangerous in attack.
Tijjani Reijnders shines for the Netherlands
The 25-year-old midfielder Tijjani Reijnders is an important player for the Netherlands at the 2024 European Championship. He joined AC Milan last season and played 50 games in all competitions for the Italian powerhouse.
Jude Bellingham makes history with referee in semi-final
German referee Felix Zwayer has been appointed to officiate the Euro 2024 semi-final between England and the Netherlands in Dortmund, after Jude Bellingham had previously clashed with him in the same stadium.
In 2021, while Bellingham was playing for Borussia Dortmund, the England midfielder was fined €40,000 for comments he made about Zwayer following his side’s 3-2 defeat to Bayern Munich.
“You can look at a lot of decisions in the game. You give a referee, who has done match-fixing before, the biggest game in Germany. What do you expect?” Bellingham said at the time.
With his comments, Zwayer was referring to a period in his career that he would rather have left behind.
In 2005, referee Robert Hoyzer was sentenced to two years and five months in prison for his role in a massive match-fixing scandal that shook German football to its foundations. Although Zwayer was among those who reported his suspicions, he too was punished.
Zwayer was given a six-month suspension by the German Football Association (DFB) for accepting 300 euros from Hoyzer for making wrong decisions during a match in which he was an assistant referee.
He took a short break after Bellingham’s comments, but has since refereed the 2023 Nations League final and at the 2024 European Championship Zwayer officiated three matches before the semi-final.
– Reuters
Has England ever won the European Championship?
England have never won the European Championship, with their best performance coming in 2021 as runners-up, losing to Italy on penalties.
England’s Declan Rice: ‘May the best team win’
Declan Rice performed well in the Euro 2024 semi-final against the Netherlands and he believes England have enough momentum to beat the Netherlands and win their first ever European Championship.
“It’s business as usual… I don’t put too much pressure on myself, I don’t think about it too much,” Rice told England’s Lions’ Den programme.
“We’re here for a reason, Holland is here for a reason and may the best team win. It’s a game of football, we feel like we’ve got really good momentum on our side,” Rice added.
The statistics underline Rice’s contribution to England: he covered more distance than any other player in the tournament, covering 63.9 km (39.7 miles) in five games. He was fourth in the league for most tackles and ball recoveries.
– Reuters
England’s Bukayo Saka kept it casual with golf outing
Bukayo Saka was widely praised for his beautiful ball-striking performance in England’s quarter-final against Switzerland. He did it again last weekend on his golf debut, although his joy was marred by an embarrassing fall over his golf bag.
It may have been beginner’s luck but Saka, who equalised against the Swiss and converted his penalty in the 5-3 shoot-out win, shone as England were treated to a round of golf on their day off on Sunday.
“Oh my god, the best photo of my life,” Saka said after his first attempt.
He connected well with his next attempt and, while enjoying a huge round of applause, stumbled comically, prompting laughter and mockery from team-mates. The distraction could be just what England need before their semi-final with the Netherlands on Wednesday, as they look to reach their second successive European Championship final.
– Reuters
English players support manager Gareth Southgate
Gareth Southgate is exactly what England need as a leader, having created a sense of togetherness in a team that has grown stronger at Euro 2024 and has never been more motivated, defender Luke Shaw said on Monday.
“He really took us to the next level. No other manager has been as successful as he has been in recent times,” Shaw told a news conference.
– Reuters
The Netherlands experienced disruption upon arrival in Dortmund
Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman reacted with shock to the travel problems his team faced on Tuesday. According to him, the team was well rested for the semi-final of the European Championship against England on Wednesday.
The Dutch had to abandon plans to travel by train from their home base of Wolfsburg to Dortmund after the train service was cancelled due to a blockade on the route, the Dutch Football Association said.
Instead, they flew to Dortmund, arriving at their hotel about four hours later than planned.
“It was no problem, we rested well this afternoon, we were only on the plane for 30 minutes, arrived at our hotel and can rest well tonight,” Koeman said in an interview with UEFA after his planned pre-match press conference had to be cancelled due to the travel delay.
– Reuters
Where is the 2024 European Championship final?
The final of the 2024 European Championship will be played on Sunday 14 July at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. Previously, the final of the 2006 World Cup (Italy defeated France) and the final of the 2015 UEFA Champions League were played here.
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