An England side that looked better than it had in the previous five games met Spain in Berlin to decide who would win this European Championship. The English had to come back from Xavi Simons’ early goal. Kane scored a penalty, and Watkins, with a classic number nine move, an oriented control and a cross-shot, meant that on Sunday Spanish and English football, competitors with their respective leagues, will fight for dominance of European football. Spain-England an unprecedented final. La Liga against the Premier League.
1
Bart Verbruggen, Virgil Van Dijk, Aké, Denzel Dumfries (Joshua Zirkzee, min. 93), de Vrij, Xavi Simons (Brian Brobbey, min. 93), Malen (Wouter Weghorst, min. 45), Gakpo, Tijani Reijnders, Jerdy Schouten and Depay (Joey Veerman, min. 35)
2
Jordan Pickford, John Stones, Marc Guehi, Walker, Kobbie Mainoo, Trippier (Shaw, min. 45), Bukayo Saka (Ezri Konsa Ngoyo, min. 92), Declan Rice, Kane (Ollie Watkins, min. 80), Jude Bellingham and Foden (Cole Palmer, min. 80)
Goals 1-0 min. 7: Xavi Simons. 1-1 min. 18: Kane. 1-2 min. 90: Ollie Watkins.
Referee Felix Zwayer
Yellow cards Denzel Dumfries (min. 16), Jude Bellingham (min. 71), Bukayo Saka (min. 85), Virgil Van Dijk (min. 86), Xavi Simons (min. 90) and Trippier (min. 94)
It was Holland who came out with the most energy and that allowed them to win the guerrilla war that broke out inch by inch and in each dispute. In one of these skirmishes, Xavi Simons stole the ball from Rice and went straight towards Pickford’s goal. On the run, he unleashed a tremendous right-footed shot that the English goalkeeper swallowed.
Gareth Southgate’s players had to react to that furious start from the Dutch. It was a more expansive England than the one seen so far that went looking for the equaliser. With more play due to a question of naturalness and reasoning. Foden started from the right, the same flank that he starts from with Guardiola. On the left, with Trippier, he did not connect. On the right side he had his teammate Walker behind him and when he went down to receive the ball in the centre of the field he found Stones. Southgate tried to recreate City’s partnerships and automatisms and it worked for him. Kane and Foden tested Verbruggen from outside the area, who was forced to hit the ground with two low shots that looked for the post. The equaliser came via VAR. Kane himself caught a volley inside the area that Dumfries tried to block. In his attempt he raised his foot too high and collided with Kane when the latter had already finished. The referee awarded the penalty after looking at the screen to review the goal. The video scoreboards explained that under Rule 22 of the New Testament, the shot required the 11-metre mark. Under the Old Testament, if anything, it was an indirect free kick. That’s how it is. Kane adjusted the shot after that time, which irritates and seems eternal to the goalkeepers until he takes it.
In the midst of the equaliser, Foden also reigned supreme in a match at the Euros for the first time. He broke into the corner of the six-yard box to receive a pass from Saka. The City player’s display also left a message. If there’s too much Foden, there’s not enough Bellingham.
Foden tried to get past Verbruggen by slipping the ball between his legs, but only half succeeded. The ball stopped on the goal line before a Dutch defender kicked it hard out of the area. Finally, fired up, in keeping with the chant dedicated to him by English fans, he copied Lamine Yamal’s diabolical parable. In his case, the superb curve crashed against the post.
The English pressure showed that Koeman’s plan after taking the lead was to seek a counterattack. The plan was ruined by the equaliser, but Holland were unable to find a way to shake off their dominance. Between Mainoo and Rice they blocked any attempt by the Dutch to get out of the fast lane. Reijnders was not the centre of attention and Gapko was not able to show off his powerful stride. However, from a corner kick taken by Memphis, Dumfries was able to put the Netherlands ahead again. His header crashed into the crossbar. The corner kick was Memphis’ last action before he retired injured. His place was taken by Veerman, although it was Malen who occupied the centre of the attack. Veerman, cruelly singled out by Koeman when he was substituted after half an hour of the match lost against Austria in the group stage, was installed as the third midfielder.
The English surge was gradually reduced until half-time. Southgate took action by leaving Trippier in the dugout and bringing on Luke Shaw, looking for an even more natural approach. The change did not have much impact. England were no longer the same as in the first half. Holland grew bolder and Van Dijk snatched a cross from the side that sent Pickford flying. Koeman’s players were better and Southgate had no choice but to bench the already missing Foden for Palmer and the exhausted Kane for Watkins. The goal by the Aston Villa striker with five minutes to go was created by England when Koeman’s players had taken control of the match and seemed more determined to attack.
De Vrij swallowed Watkins’ clever move as England completed their comeback and second successive final after losing at Wembley to Italy in 2021
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