The second semi-final of the 2024 European Football Championship is a match between the Netherlands and England. Both of these countries would love to lift the trophy. The Netherlands looks strong, and England has been somewhat cautious so far, but football is always unpredictable.
Netherlands – England
The first match between these two teams was a friendly match in The Hague. The English defeated Oranje with a resounding score of 1-8. In the next match, it was even 12-2 for the ‘Three Lions’. However, these two scores do not reflect all the matches that followed. Out of a total of 32 matches, the Netherlands won 9 times, England won 13 times, and the remaining 10 matches ended in a draw.
The last encounter was the semi-final of the 2018/19 Nations League. In Guimaraes, a municipality in Portugal, the Netherlands won 3-1 against England. The goal scorers for the Netherlands were Matthijs De Ligt and Quincy Promes. The second goal was an own goal by Kyle Walker. Marcus Rashford scored for England. The Netherlands would go on to lose the final to Portugal.
Netherlands
Oranje proved too strong for a motivated Turkey. In about 6 minutes, Stefan de Vrij equalized for the Dutch, followed by an own goal from Mert Müldür, putting them ahead. Turkey couldn’t recover from this blow and had to leave the European Championship.
The Turks were in good shape and had the advantage of taking the lead in the first half. They controlled the game for most of the match until the Netherlands broke through the defense in the 70th minute. They still had occasional attempts at the Dutch goal, but the ball didn’t find the net.
Thus, two teams from Group D are in these semi-finals: France and the Netherlands. They reached the final round as the second-place team and one of the best third-placed teams, with Austria winning the group. The Netherlands then played against Romania, the group winner in the group with Belgium, but they were no match for Oranje. With 3 goals, the Netherlands sent the Romanians home.
Forward Cody Gakpo scored a total of 3 goals for the Netherlands, putting him at the top of the ranking. He could add a few more to become the top scorer of the European Championship. Furthermore, the Netherlands relies on its best defender and captain Virgil Van Dijk, while the attack with Memphis Depay, Xavi Simons, and other players seems increasingly dangerous.
England
Switzerland was England’s opponent in the quarter-finals but had to leave the European Championship after an uninspiring match. Both teams scored once, with about 5 minutes between the goals, and the match had to be decided by penalties. The English scored all their penalties, while the Swiss missed 3. England is now one step closer to a new final, 3 years after the previous one against Italy.
Switzerland was a strong team but also benefited from England’s poor performance. Breel Embolo put the Swiss ahead due to England’s weak defense, but Switzerland failed to maintain that lead. Switzerland finished second in the group with Germany and managed to win against Italy in the round of 16 but fell short in the quarter-finals. A commendable performance for a country aiming to reach the knockout stage.
Although they finished as group winners, England didn’t have a particularly good group stage. On the first matchday, they won against Serbia but then drew against Denmark and Slovenia. As the other teams also often drew, it was enough for England to advance. In the round of 16, they faced Slovakia, which almost became a major stumbling block, but a late goal from Jude Bellingham kept England in the European Championship. Harry Kane also secured the winning goal.
Both of these players have scored 2 goals each. They have been the most important attackers for the English team so far, but it’s less than they had hoped for. The young Bellingham, a star player at Real Madrid, and the experienced Harry Kane, it almost seemed like an internal contest over who would be the top scorer. At this point, it will be a significant achievement if either of them surpasses Cody Gakpo.
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