Gareth Southgate believes reaching the final of Euro 2024 is the greatest achievement of his England tenure after Ollie Watkins’ dramatic late strike set up a showdown against Spain on Sunday.
Watkins struck as extra-time loomed to secure a 2-1 win over the Netherlands after Harry Kane’s controversial first-half penalty had cancelled out Xavi Simons’ early goal.
The win means England are through to the final of a major tournament on foreign soil for the first time.
And asked where that ranked for him personally, Southgate said on ITV: “I think it has to be the best, it’s another landmark, but we played well through the game.
"Just look at his face!!!" 💬
Ollie Watkins 👏 pic.twitter.com/RsKPbmA8ny
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 10, 2024
“It was a complicated game. They kept changing, we had to keep changing how we were defensively especially but I thought we caused problems all night and the end is so special for the squad. It’s an example of what this squad are giving to the cause.”
Southgate had turned to his bench with 10 minutes of the match to go, replacing Kane and Phil Foden with Watkins and Cole Palmer, and it was the two substitutes who combined for the winning goal.
“Sometimes (substitutions) can work that way,” Southgate added. “The most important thing is all the squad are ready to come into the game, we’ve kept tight, it’s hard with 26 – you disappoint 15 every time but you spend a lot of time with those guys, their attitude has been exemplary.
“I’m so chuffed for Ollie to get his moment. We just felt energy-wise we were starting to lose a bit and Harry got a knock in the first half of course. Ollie presses well, he makes runs behind and we thought it was a good moment to try it.”
England’s 18th-minute penalty was dubious – awarded following the intervention of the VAR after Kane was caught by Denzel Dumfries, who had been trying to block a shot from the England captain.
However, Southgate said his side deserved victory on the balance of play.
“We also had Phil’s shot cleared off the line, the disallowed goal was inches again, so I think we deserved the win tonight,” he said.
“The opponent gave us a little bit more space. In the early games we didn’t have any space to play. We were very fluid, Bukayo (Saka) did a brilliant job to cover inside. We had to adapt but all the players made so many good decisions on the pitch.”
[(Gangwon FC) Strength]: 1. Last season in the Korean FA Cup, Gangwon FC were eliminated in the Round of 16. This season, the team have made a breakthrough so far and have advanced to the semi-finals. In this second leg, they will play at home and have a strong desire to win.2. Lee Ji Ho, a forward of Gangwon FC, has had limited playing time this season. However, he has maintained high offensive e...
[(Everton F.C.) Strength]: 1. On August 24th, in the 2nd round of the Premier League, Everton F.C. secured a comfortable 2-0 home victory over Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., with Jack Grealish providing two assists and putting in an impressive performance.2. Everton F.C. kept unbeaten in the last 3 Premier League home games with 2 wins and 1 draw, showing excellent performances.3. Everton F.C. h...
[(Nagoya Grampus) Strength]: 1. Nagoya Grampus are on a 2-game losing streak. They are motivated to win this home game to boost their morale.2. Soichiro Mori scored a goal and made an assist in the last game, showing outstanding form.3. Nagoya Grampus secured a 3-game winning streak in their last 3 encounters between both sides, giving them a better mentality.[(Nagoya Grampus) Neutral]: 1. Nagoya ...
[(Grimsby Town F.C.) Strength]: 1. Grimsby Town F.C. player Jaze Kabia scored in the last game, with reliable form.2. Grimsby Town F.C. drew 1-1 against Accrington Stanley in the last game, but they still kept unbeaten among all events in the new season, being in stable form.3. Grimsby Town F.C.'s home performance was outstanding. They won all the last 3 home games.4. Grimsby Town F.C. have a good...
[(FC Machida Zelvia) Strength]: 1. FC Machida Zelvia are undoubtedly motivated to win this home game to qualify for the semi-finals.2. Yuki Soma scored 10 goals and made 6 assists across all competitions this season, being important on the team's offense.3. FC Machida Zelvia drew 0-0 with Yokohama F. Marinos in the last game. They were unbeaten with 11 wins and 1 draw in the last 12 games, showing...
[(Reading F.C.) Strength]: 1. Reading F.C. are playing in the EFL League One this season and are on a 3-game winless run lately. They need to return to winning ways, indicating full motivation in this game.2. Lewis Wing scored a goal and made an assist in the last game, helping the team tie with Wycombe Wanderers F.C.3. Reading F.C. won the last 2 games in AH, revealing recent performances in line...
[(Sheffield Wed) Strength]: 1. Sheffield Wed have a rather impressive track record in the EFL Cup. In the first round of this season, they defeated Bolton Wanderers F.C., another team from the EFL Championship, and have posted 3 wins and 2 draws in their last 5 EFL Cup games.2. Sheffield Wed lost only 1 of the last 5 games in AH with stable performances. They ended all the last 4 games with OVER.[...
[(Eintracht Braunschweig) Strength]: 1. As a 2. Bundesliga side, Eintracht Braunschweig have made a solid start to the new season. Having been eliminated in the first round of the DFB-Pokal in each of the past two seasons, the team will undoubtedly be eager to achieve a better performance when they compete in the tournament again this season. Therefore, they will be full of determination when faci...
[(Sturm Graz) Strength]: 1. Sturm Graz suffered a crushing defeat in the first leg on the road. In this home match, they have to go all out to attack, with full motivation to win.2. Sturm Graz midfielder Otar Kiteishvili scored 4 goals in three league games this season, performing excellently in the league. As the starting forward of the team, his performance in this match is worth keeping an eye ...
[(Burnley) Strength]: 1. Burnley's key midfielder Josh Cullen not only opened the scoring for the team in the last game but also provided an assist, emerging as the biggest contributor to the victory with an outstanding individual performance.2. Burnley claimed a comfortable 2-0 win over Sunderland in their last game, securing their first victory of the new Premier League season and boosting the t...
- 1 Ruben Amorim gives cryptic response when asked about Andre Onana returning to starting XI for Fulham clash after Altay Bayindir blunder handed Arsenal victory
- 2 'Victory Bodes Well for Future' – Gasperini Delighted with Roma’s Opening Day Win
- 3 TIPS - Eintracht Frankfurt VS Werder Bremen
- 4 Transfer rumors, news: Arsenal could turn to Lyon's Fofana
- 5 Antony’s Man United Exit Hopes Rest on Fresh Real Betis Bid Within 'Next 24 Hours'
- 6 TIPS - Cerezo Osaka VS Vissel Kobe
- 7 TIPS - Gamba Osaka VS Yokohama FC
- 8 TIPS - Schalke 04 VS VfL Bochum
- 9 TIPS - Sunderland A.F.C. VS Huddersfield Town A.F.C.
- 10 TIPS - Olympique de Marseille VS Paris FC