England and the Netherlands Have a Long History and a Grand Semi-Final
England and the Netherlands are competing to reach the final of the 2024 European Cup. The two teams are accustomed to facing each other on the international level, with several intense matches, the most notable being when the Netherlands prevented England from qualifying for the 1994 World Cup finals.
Their last encounter was in the 2019 UEFA Nations League semi-final, where the Netherlands won 3-1 after extra time. Notably, five of their last eight meetings ended in a draw after ninety minutes.
The Three Lions hope to at least replicate their previous performance, where they reached the final but lost to Italy on penalties at Wembley Stadium in London.
England’s sole major title came in 1966 when they won the World Cup on home soil, defeating West Germany.
Despite the high expectations from a squad featuring an attacking lineup with Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, and Bukayo Saka, coach Gareth Southgate’s team displayed a flexible style of play, navigating their way to the semi-finals with some difficulty.
After an unconvincing group stage, which included matches against Denmark, Slovenia, and Serbia, Bellingham saved the team with a last-minute equalizer against Slovakia in the round of 16, leading to a win in extra time. In the quarter-finals, they required penalty kicks to overcome Switzerland after a 1-1 draw.
Southgate, who has led England to three semi-finals in four major tournaments, faced a hostile reception when beer cans were thrown at him as he tried to celebrate qualifying for the round of 16 after a goalless draw with Slovenia.
Having adjusted his tactics in the last match against Switzerland, which resulted in an improved display, Southgate is expected to stick to a 3-4-2-1 formation with Marc Guéhi returning from suspension to replace Ezri Konsa.
The England coach expressed his frustration at suggestions that his team benefited from an easier side of the draw, avoiding major teams like France, Spain, Germany, and Portugal.
The Dutch, who finished third in their group behind Austria and France, had a more fortunate path, facing Romania (3-0) and then Turkey, which they narrowly overcame, overturning a deficit in the last third of the match to win 2-1 in the quarter-finals, thanks to the introduction of striker Wout Weghorst.
The Oranje squad is not intimidated by the stars of the English Premier League, boasting players from prominent clubs, despite the absence of Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong due to injury.
Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman is particularly relying on young striker Cody Gakpo, who is considered one of the tournament’s standout players, having scored three goals so far. Half of his 12 international goals have come in major tournaments, including three goals at the last World Cup in Qatar.
The Netherlands, with only one major title in their history—the 1988 European Championship—are in the semi-finals of a major tournament for the first time since the 2014 World Cup, where they finished third.
Koeman, a member of the 1988 team, commented on the upcoming match, the first semi-final in this competition for the Netherlands since 2004: “It will be a wonderful evening between two great teams. A historic night.”
He added, “This is something special for our country. We are a small nation, and competing in the semi-finals alongside England, France, and Spain makes us very proud. We fought hard to get here, and having the chance to compete in the semi-finals is a great success.”.”
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