SOMEHOW an underperforming England is still in it. The Three Lions have faced a barrage of criticism from fans, pundits and a vociferous media at home over their below-par performances thus far.
But they have momentum as they reached the semifinals of another major tournament under Gareth Southgate. Will they repeat their form from the last Euros and reach the final?
Awaiting England in the semis will be the Netherlands who came from behind to defeat Turkiye. Here is a summary of the final two quarterfinals played early this morning.
England 1 v Switzerland 1 (1-1 after extra time / England win 5-3 on penalties)
England have flattered to deceive thus far with a series of underwhelming performances that belie their status as one of the tournament favourites. The multitude of superstars have blown hot and cold, igniting plenty of debate as to who deserves a starting slot.
Among the issues is whether Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham are compatible and how exactly the Three Lions make maximum use of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s range of passing. Those questions remain as Switzerland pretty much bossed proceedings and was by far the more adventurous of the two sides.
There was greater thrust and purpose to the Swiss manoeuvres, and they thought they had done enough to win the game after taking the lead in the 75th minute through Breel Embolo. England had done little to suggest they could come back into the contest, but as in the previous games, individual brilliance came to the rescue. Bukayo Saka unleashed a shot from the edge of the box to equalise in the 80th minute and force extra time.
Ultimately, England progressed thanks to Manuel Akanji fluffing his lines in the shootout. For now, the tactical conundrums remain for England but thanks to individual brilliance they are two games away from glory.
Turkiye 1 v Netherlands 2
Turkiye’s boisterous support had made them seem like the home team at Euro 2024 and they have been involved in some of the most entertaining match-ups in the competition thus far, not lease their round-of-16 tie against Austria. That game saw goalkeeper Mert Gunok pull off a world-class save at the death that was reminiscent of Gordon Banks’ save against Pele in the 1970 Copa Mundial and propel Turkiye to the quarterfinals.
In this game, it was the Dutch keeper who pulled off a superb reflex save to deny the Turks late on in the game. Turkiye were good value for the lead, scored by Samet Akaydin in the 35th minute, and seemed to have the measure of the Dutch. But the Oranje did grow into the game and duly got their equaliser in the 70th minute via Stefan de Vrij.
Turkish heads visibly dropped, and in the 76th minute Cody Gapko forced Mert Muldur into putting the ball into his own net, allowing Dutch supporters to believe that this team could emulate the Class of 1988.
That side, led by the hugely talented trio of Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rikjaard won the Netherlands’ sole European championship also held in Germany. Can the current team bring home a second Euro? On this showing, it is indeed very possible.
Semifinals:
Spain v France – 3am (10 July)
England v Netherlands – 3am (11 July) – July 7, 2024
Main photo credit: The Guardian
