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
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:
Who do England play next and when?
England will play in the semi-finals of Euro 2024 after Gareth Southgate’s side won a dramatic penalty shootout against Switzerland.
The Three Lions came from behind in Dusseldorf thanks to Bukayo Saka’s goal and a perfect set of five spot kicks, capped by Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Jordan Pickford’s save.
Now Gareth Southgate’s side will look ahead to a semi-final against the Netherlands in Dortmund on Wednesday.
England have landed in the more favourable side of the Euro 2024 knockout draw, though the Dutch will prove to be their biggest challenge yet, with France and Spain also set to battle it out for a place in the Berlin final.
England trained on Monday
Here are some photos from England’s training session on Monday:
Predicted line ups
NED - Verbruggen, Dumfries, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Ake, Schouten, Reijnders, Bergwijn, Simons, Gakpo, Depay
ENG - Pickford, Walker, Stones, Guehi, Saka, Rice, Mainoo, Shaw, Foden, Bellingham, Kane
Early team news
Netherlands have not seen anybody suspended during the tournament and despite losing several names to injury ahead of the Euros starting, seem to have escaped without further losses during their five matches so far. The big decision for Ronald Koeman will be whether to stick with Steven Bergwijn starting on the right or to bring in either Donyell Malen or Wout Weghorst, the latter meaning a reshuffle of the attack, Xavi Simons likely moving to the flank.
Marc Guehi is back from suspension and with Luke Shaw having returned to fitness to appear off the bench in the quarter-final, England should also have a full 26-man squad for Gareth Southgate to choose from. Starting Shaw or not - and if in place of Kieran Trippier or someone else - will be the manager’s big decision, while Guehi may not come back into the side if Ezri Konsa keeps his place.
How to watch England v Netherlands
When is Netherlands vs England?
Netherlands face England in the second semi-final at Euro 2024, with the game kicking off at 8pm BST on Wednesday 10 July in Dortmund.
Where can I watch it?
The match will be broadcast live on ITV 1 and STV, while UK viewers can stream the game via the ITV X and STV Player platforms and apps. You can find a full list of which channel is showing each match here. Coverage starts at 4pm on BBC One and the iPlayer.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
How to watch England v Netherlands
England have reached a third semi-final in four men’s international tournaments and Gareth Southgate will hope his team can go one better than three years ago when they were losing finalists on home soil.
First, though, they need to get past Netherlands after beating Switzerland on penalties in the quarter-finals. The Oranje, meanwhile, beat Turkey 2-1 at the same stage.
Neither nation have been entirely convincing at Euro 2024 this summer but both have managed to find a way to progress - albeit after the Dutch side finished third in their group, before knocking out Romania in the last 16.
England topped their own group in dull fashion, drawing twice, before a late equaliser and extra time victory over Slovakia as the knockouts began.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.
Bukayo Saka moves past England heartbreak to become heartbeat of Euro 2024 team
As Bukayo Saka stepped up for the penalty against Switzerland, a lot of the England staff were conscious of the weight on his shoulders. Some tried not to mention it, but it did hang there. He’d taken many for Arsenal in response to that Euro 2020 miss, but it was nothing like this.
“I know there’s a lot of nervous people watching, like my family…” Saka himself said afterwards. That’s enough of a thought to flash through your mind in itself.
He wasn’t thinking of any of it in the moment, though. It was also why Gareth Southgate and the England staff were fully confident in him. They’d gone through so many preparation processes as a group. There was also Saka’s individual character – and quality. They didn’t need to mention it, because they knew he was ready.
Bukayo Saka moves past heartbreak to become heartbeat of England team
After missing his penalty in the Euro 2020 final shootout, Saka struck perfectly against Switzerland – having already saved his nation in normal time
The six-year behind-the-scenes process which led to England’s perfect penalties
England beat Switzerland on penalties in the Euro 2024 quarter-final thanks to a changed secret approach that involved rethinking every detail of a penalty shootout, right down to the steps that players take and where they should look. One insight was even to not practise too much, as this can have a detrimental effect on nerves.
The Football Association have been so protective of these decisive tie-winning approaches that they stopped players like Jordan Pickford and Ezri Konsa going into too much detail about the “process” after Saturday’s quarter-final win, but some of the elements have been revealed in a book by an influential former staff member. Chris Markham, who is now sporting director at Bolton Wanderers, previously worked as Game Insights Lead at the FA for four years and through the watershed 2018 World Cup.
He was personally thanked by Gareth Southgate after that crucial 2018 last-16 win over Colombia in Russia. The manager first consulted Markham in 2017, before staging a wider meeting to convince the players in March 2018. Although the Euro 2020 final shootout against Italy showed there was still work to do, the results were seen in the five perfect penalties against Switzerland.
The six-year behind-the-scenes process which led to England’s perfect penalties
Five out of five scored – and one saved by Jordan Pickford – sent England to the Euro 2024 semi-finals
Gareth Southgate’s England revolution shouldn’t be overlooked just because it’s dull
England have been playing international football for 152 years but it may be wrong to throw it back that far. They could have ventured to World Cups before the Second World War but, in their arrogance and isolationism, chose not to; they first played in a tournament in 1950, 74 years ago.
Since then, there were four semi-finals: 1966, 1968 (in a four-team tournament), 1990 and 1996, only two on home soil. Then came the Southgate years and there have been three more. They are coming at three-year intervals: 2018, 2021 (in the delayed Euro 2020) and now 2024.
Maybe England are living in the golden years, even if they don’t know it. They have ploughed the most prosaic path possible to the semi-finals of Euro 2024 but they are there. Gareth Southgate’s three semi-finals put him ahead of Alf Ramsey, with two, and Bobby Robson and Terry Venables, who reached one apiece.
Southgate’s England revolution shouldn’t be overlooked just because it’s dull
England haven’t thrilled on the pitch all the time – but they have kept winning, progressing and reaching exciting matches. Does that matter more?
England Euro 2024 news
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s Euro 2024 coverage, bringing you the latest news and build up from England’s camp in Germany.
England scraped through the quarter-finals against Switzerland on penalties, and will want to improve against the Dutch.
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