Euro 2024 - live: England news and analysis with Gareth Southgate’s side preparing for semi-finals

The Three Lions are through to the last four in Germany and a tie against Netherlands awaits

England fans throw drinks after Saka scores equaliser in Euro match against Switzerland

Euro 2024 is entering its final week and only four nations remain involved - with England still one of them following a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Switzerland in Dusseldorf. Gareth Southgate had to turn to his substitutes and squad players to get them a late equaliser and subsequent win from 12 yards, with Trent Alexander-Arnold drilling in the decisive effort.

Now they’ll face Netherlands in the last four after their comeback win over Turkey - while Spain and France will meet in the other semi-final.

Gareth Southgate spoke after the game about his pride in the squad overcoming challenges and pointed out this side has overcome the demons of previous tournaments when it comes to penalties: “We’ve been in four and we won three. We got crucified for the one we lost but it’s outcome based,” he said after knocking out the Swiss. “We have more regular penaly takers now than then [against Italy] and more who have been in shootouts. We have a calm process but the players still have to deal with it the way they did.”

Now it’s all about recovery ahead of Wednesday’s meeting in Dortmund, and honing the tactics to help them reach a second men’s European Championship final in three years. Follow all the latest news and England analysis and reaction below:

England Euro 2024 news

• Gareth Southgate has spearheaded an England revolution
• The behind-the-scenes process which led to England’s perfect penalties
• When is England’s semi-final versus the Netherlands?
• What is the early team news?

[9 July 2024 14:00 · Mike Jones]

The Trent Alexander-Arnold moment behind England’s transformation

Trent Alexander-Arnold had to wait for his moment. More than six years, since his England debut, during tournaments when he was injured or underused. For three-and-a-half games, after the experiment – as it has been semi-officially termed – of starting with him in midfield was abandoned. For 115 minutes, until he was brought on against Switzerland. For the duration of a penalty shootout, until he was up last.

“You’ve got to be ready for the moment when it comes and I think the other day I epitomised that more than anything,” he said. Ready? He seemed to relish it. Sometimes penalties are described as ‘unstoppable’. Perhaps Alexander-Arnold’s actually was, dispatched past Yann Sommer with a blend of power and accuracy. It measured 125.6kmph (78mph), making it the hardest shot in the tournament so far.

[9 July 2024 13:50 · Mike Jones]

Dani Olmo is Spain’s antidote to France’s anti-football at Euro 2024

It’s perhaps a triumph of tactics, or simply a triumph of circumstance: France have got to the semi-finals of Euro 2024 without scoring a goal in open play through any of their own 26 members of the squad.

Didier Deschamps’ side have been totally unconcerned by having possession for large stretches of matches. They haven’t really created too many chances either – certainly not in the way that the calibre of players at their disposal would suggest that they might do.

They rank 11th in the tournament for average possession per game. They’ve created the same number of big chances at the Euros as Austria or Turkey. They’ve only scored three in total across five matches and two of them were own goals.

[9 July 2024 13:40 · Mike Jones]

France’s ‘tournament ball’ or Spain’s ideology – how do you actually win the Euros?

Lamine Yamal has been one of the few stars always worth watching at Euro 2024, which means he attracts a lot of defenders, so Luis De La Fuente is intent on making the 16-year-old see better team solutions. In training, the Spain manager has taken Yamal aside and told him “if you have three players on you, there’s an area where we have superiority – we must get the ball there, not by dribbling, but with fast passing”.

This is Spain, after all. De La Fuente has accelerated the team’s evolution from dogmatic possession, primarily through the use of Yamal and Nico Williams, but the approach is still based on the core ideology. The identity is too ingrained. Such advice still produced maybe the most beautiful play at Euro 2024, which was a wondrous one-touch passing move against Germany to turn defence into attack. It has been lacking from a lot of teams.

[9 July 2024 13:30 · Mike Jones]

Why ‘luck of the draw’ is a lazy phrase to throw at Gareth Southgate’s England

Around the England camp, the players know not to even indulge the idea that Euro 2024 has handed them a “forgiving draw”. Gareth Southgate has already bristled at the idea in press conferences, so it’s easy to imagine the attitude with the squad.

Players being players, though, one or two can’t help talking about how they would rather not have faced Spain or France yet. That isn’t to disrespect Netherlands, but Ronald Koeman’s team clearly aren’t comparable to the great Dutch sides of the past, nor the other semi-finalists.

Gary Neville made the attitude clear - as well as how players actually speak - when comparing the draws his teams faced against those of Southgate’s era.

[9 July 2024 13:20 · Mike Jones]

‘Mystic meerkats’ predict result of England’s Euro 2024 clash against Netherlands

A group of “mystic meerkats” have predicted England will beat the Netherlands in the semi-final of Euro 2024, earning the Three Lions another shot at the trophy they missed out on three years ago.

The “psychic powers” of the meerkats at Drusillas Park in East Sussex have accurately forecast victories for the team throughout the tournament so far, with their keepers hoping they continue their winning streak of predictions.

England will face the Netherlands in Wednesday’s semi-final after beating Switzerland in a penalty shoot-out to reach the final four.

France and Spain go head-to-head in the other fixture.

[9 July 2024 13:10 · Mike Jones]

England’s full squad train ahead of Euro 2024 semi-final against Netherlands

England’s full squad trained on the eve of the Euro 2024 semi-final against the Netherlands.

Gareth Southgate’s side are preparing for their third semi-final appearance in four major tournaments as they seek to reach the country’s first men’s final on foreign soil.

[9 July 2024 13:00 · Mike Jones]

Gareth Southgate vows to ‘keep grinding’ despite personal criticism

Gareth Southgate has found personal criticism hurtful and says having beer cups thrown at him was not normal, but the defiant England boss vowed to keep fighting for a historic first Euros crown.

Among the favourites to go all the way in Germany, the Euro 2020 runners-up are now just one victory away from becoming the first English men’s team to reach a major final on foreign soil.

“Look, I took this job to try to improve English football, to try to give us nights like this,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live when asked about his celebrations on the pitch after his 100th match in charge.

“I can’t deny then when things get as personal as it has that does hurt. I don’t think it’s normal to have beer thrown at you.

“But we’re in a third semi-final in four tournaments, and I think we continue to give people fantastic memories. So, we’ll keep grinding, we’ll keep fighting, and we’ll keep enjoying this journey.”

[9 July 2024 12:49 · Mike Jones]

England aren’t finishing Euro 2024 like they started - and it’s still unclear if that’s a good thing

As Berlin and the Henri Delauny trophy come into clearer view, it is almost as if Gareth Southgate’s vision of his side is even more clouded. England’s run to the Euro 2024 semi-final certainly hasn’t been one of those classic cases of a team finding itself as a tournament goes on.

So much around Southgate’s side still doesn’t make sense, bar their own iron will, as was all illustrated so chaotically in that quarter-final victory over Switzerland.

What is maybe most significant is that this doesn’t feel as important as it did even a week ago, whatever about three weeks ago. England very much don’t start like they’ll finish, and this doesn’t seem to matter that much. By contrast, the eventual changes seem to result in the winning of ties.

That doesn’t actually mean Southgate has stumbled on what works, though, in another way that can happen in such games.

[9 July 2024 12:38 · Mike Jones]

Highs and lows of Gareth Southgate’s reign

High: Penalty shootout demons banished (mostly)

As a player, Southgate won 57 senior caps but will ultimately be most remembered for missing a crucial penalty in the shootout defeat to Germany in the semi-final of Euro 96.

After being chastised for his miss, Southgate would address England’s woeful shootout record when taking over as manager.

Other than beating Spain at Euro 96, England had lost six of their seven shootouts at major tournaments but Southgate’s side would eventually turn the tide, seeing off Colombia 4-3 at the 2018 World Cup and following that up with victory over Switzerland on spot-kicks to secure the bronze medal at the inaugural Nations League a year later.

While the mentality had clearly shifted, penalties would still come back to haunt Southgate as England lost the Euro 2020 final to Italy after a shootout.

Despite that, their confidence is as high as ever as proved by five perfect spot kicks to see off Switzerland in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals last Saturday.

[9 July 2024 12:31 · Mike Jones]

Highs and lows of Gareth Southgate’s reign

Low: Euro 2020 final sees players abused

Southgate and his players were left crestfallen by their Euro 2020 heartbreak but the manager also had to rally around Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho.

The trio all missed in the shootout and were targets of racial abuse on social media, fracturing what had become a relationship that had been improving year on year under Southgate.

“For some of them to be abused is unforgivable,” Southgate said, “Some of it has come from abroad, we have been told this, but some of it is from this country.

“We have been a beacon of light to bring people together and the national team stands for everybody. We felt the energy and positivity from the fans and I’m incredibly proud of that.”