Gareth Southgate did what Roberto Martinez was too afraid to do and it got England through to the Euro 2024 final, writes CHRIS SUTTON England will play their first major tournament final on foreign soil on Sunday LISTEN: Join us as we debate the BIGGEST talking points on It's All Kicking Off! EUROS DAILY. Available wherever you get your podcasts By Chris Sutton Published: 18:05 EDT, 10 July 2024 | Updated: 18:48 EDT, 10 July 2024 e-mail View comments Within a few seconds of Ollie Watkins being on the field, we saw him sprint forward to take Virgil van Dijk with him and then reverse his run in order to burst behind the Dutch defence into the space he had created. The ball over the top ultimately did not follow from John Stones , but that movement was precisely why Gareth Southgate substituted Harry Kane after 81 minutes and brought on Watkins.
And ultimately, that is what got England through to the Euro 2024 final. Less than 10 minutes later, Watkins had the winner, his run being picked up by Cole Palmer , another substitute. With a beautiful turn and a brilliant finish, bang, 2-1.
Kane is a great leader for his country and still an awesome striker for his club. We never doubted he would score his penalty last night, even if he did not get to take one in the shootout win over Switzerland, and he fashioned the odd chance including a trademark attempt from distance which was challenging for Netherlands goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. Taking Kane off for Watkins is what got England .
