Southgate eyes glory England make Euro final

The Three Lions will now face Spain in Berlin on Sunday after a goal from substitute Ollie Watkins provided a dramatic end to the semi-final.

England manager Gareth Southgate says his team are ready to “make history” after reaching the final of Euro 2024.

A last gasp goal from substitute Ollie Watkins earned the Three Lions a dramatic 2-1 win over the Netherlands in the semi-final last night.

England will now face Spain in Sunday’s final in Berlin after their best performance of the tournament so far.

Southgate will receive much of the praise after the winning goal was created and scored by two substitutes he brought on with around 10 minutes left to play.

Cole Palmer, who replaced Man City star Phil Foden, picked up the ball in midfield before slotting it to Watkins on the edge of the area.

Watkins took a touch before firing the ball into the bottom left corner of the Dutch goal.

The Aston Villa striker quickly silenced any critics who may have had their doubts when he replaced captain Harry Kane as the game looked set to be going into extra time.

Asked about his decision to take off Kane at such a crucial moment, Southgate told a news conference after the match: “Harry took quite a big knock when he won the penalty so we weren’t sure how long he would be able to play on for.

“Him and Phil (Foden) were playing well, but we were losing a little bit of energy… Certainly we weren’t taking Phil off because of his performance, but we have got good players on the bench with freshness we felt could help us.

“And you know, we wanted to make that gamble in normal time rather than wait until extra time.”

England into Euro 2024 final thanks to last-minute Ollie Watkins strike

Ten years ago the-then teenager was loaned out to a non-league team by Exeter City, but says he just worked hard and is now at the pinnacle of the European game.

Rob Harris

Sports correspondent @RobHarris

Thursday 11 July 2024 13:32, UK

Why you can trust Sky News

These are the nights Ollie Watkins never imagined were possible.

Scoring in a tournament for England? That seemed so far out of reach when he was playing club football in the sixth tier – and still out of the Premier League just four years ago.

Now finally at 28, here he was – wearing the Three Lions shirt with tens of millions watching worldwide.

And handed his opportunity with nine minutes to go of the semi-final – replacing the team’s all-time top-scorer Harry Kane – and seizing it in spectacular fashion.

With the dread of extra time looming, the striker struck to see off the Netherlands.

Just the type of finish Aston Villa fans have been enjoying all season. Now doing it for his country on the grandest of stages.

“When you score, the emotions that come through your body,” he said after the 2-1 win. “But this is just a different feeling.