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England will look to book their place in the final of the European Championship for the second time in a row when they face the Netherlands in Dortmund.
For all the criticism – much of it deserved – thrown Gareth Southgate’s way, England progressed to their third semi-final in four major tournaments. But, while the game against Switzerland on Saturday was much better than those that came before it, the Three Lions still had to rely on a penalty shootout to advance.
Question marks remain over the formation, although Southgate is likely to stick with the 3-4-3 he used against the Swiss, as well as the performance of captain Harry Kane, who again looked tired at the weekend.
Jordan Pickford was England’s hero, saving Manuel Akanji in the shootout and the Everton goalkeeper was delighted to have done his part.
“We had to get back on track, but that’s what tournament football is about: there’s no easy game. It was a big relief,” he said, before adding in Dutch. “They have their own type of personality, their own type of personnel, and they play the way they play and that will not change. The way they play doesn’t affect the way we play, it’s about us stepping up to that level and being the best at night.”
The Netherlands eliminated Turkey 2-1 to make the last four and Ronald Koeman’s team looks more stable than England.
Cody Gakpo is the tournament’s joint leading scorer and is relishing a chance to reach the finals.
The Liverpool striker said: “This has been a great tournament for us so far. I feel like we have taken a step forward compared to the last one [2022 FIFA World Cup]. And I’m happy to be a part of that.
“We are in the semi-finals now and it is clear that the competition is not over yet. All the teams in the semi final just want to reach the final. That goes for us too. So that is our desire.”
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