booked themselves into the final with another dramatic 2-1 win over at the Westfalenstadion on Wednesday night, with substitutes Cole Palmer and combining to grab the winner in injury time. Unlike other England games - that have saved the drama for the end - the first-half of their semi-final fixture brought a fusion of entertainment, with Xavi Simons opening the scoring inside six minutes after nicking the ball from Declan Rice and powering a wonderful strike beyond Jordan Pickford from far out. Used to this scenario, the Three Lions were able to respond quickly when Denzel Dumfries controversially gave away a penalty that would convert.
At the start of the second-half, England rode their luck at times, with the Netherlands ramping up the pressure. The game seemed to stifle a little as extra-time became an escalating prospect. Virgil van Dijk and Wout Weghorst both came close to scoring, while Bukayo Saka had a goal chalked off just 10 minutes from regular time for offside.
But it would be substitutes Cole Palmer and Ollie Watkins that would combine to make the difference, with the latter smashing the ball across the face of goal and into the back of the net. The Three Lions will play in the final at Berlin's Olympiastadion on Sunday, 14th July. The one player in generation Southgate that has faced a chorus of doubt.
This is a narrative no more, and although he could have got a stronger hand on the opener, he made a fine save to keep van Dijk out just after the hour mark. Th.
