England’s Dramatic Win Sends Them to Euro 2024 Final

A Royal Roller Coaster

England’s thrilling come-from-behind victory over the Netherlands has secured their place in the Euro 2024 final, even taking King Charles III on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Ollie Watkins’ stoppage-time goal earned England a 2-1 win and a shot at Spain in the title game.

Late Drama Continues

Throughout the knockout phase, England has kept their fans on the edge of their seats. A stoppage-time equalizer by Jude Bellingham helped them edge past Slovakia in the last 16, while a penalty shootout saw them through against Switzerland in the quarterfinals.

King Charles III sent a congratulatory message urging the team to secure victory without last-minute drama to ease the nation’s collective heart rate and blood pressure.

Watkins’ Moment of Glory

Watkins, who had only made one previous appearance at Euro 2024, replaced captain Harry Kane in a bold move by manager Gareth Southgate. Introduced in the 80th minute, Watkins scored the decisive goal in the first minute of stoppage time. Receiving a pass from fellow substitute Cole Palmer, Watkins turned and smashed a fierce shot into the bottom corner from a tight angle.

“Unbelievable – I’ve been waiting for that moment for weeks,” said Watkins, the Aston Villa striker and joint-fourth top scorer in the Premier League last season. “It’s taken a lot of hard work to get to where I am today. I got the opportunity and took it with both hands.”

Koeman’s Disappointment

Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman expressed his disappointment, believing his team could have scored in the dying moments of the match or in extra time. “I had a feeling toward the end of the match that maybe we could score, and for sure in extra time I’d have put money on us,” he said.

Looking Ahead to the Final

England will face Spain in Sunday’s final in Berlin, marking their first title game on foreign soil. England previously won the World Cup in 1966 and lost to Italy in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium.

“It’s going to be unbelievably tough – a really difficult game,” Kane said about the upcoming match against Spain, considered the best team in the tournament. “One more game to make history.”