DORTMUND: England took a long time to get going in Germany but march on to Berlin to face Spain in Sunday’s Euro 2024 final buoyed by more late drama and their best performance of the tournament to beat the Netherlands 2-1.

Ollie Watkins was the unlikely hero for the Three Lions as the Aston Villa striker smashed in a stoppage-time winner in Dortmund, having only played 20 minutes in the previous five games.

So often pilloried for his touchline inertia despite the depth of talent at his disposal, England boss Gareth Southgate could drink in the acclaim in Dortmund as his bold introductions of Cole Palmer and Watkins as 80th-minute subs made a decisive impact.

“We all want to be loved, right? So, when you’re doing something for your country and you’re a proud Englishman and when you don’t feel that back and when all you read is criticism, it’s hard,” Southgate told reporters. “So, to be able to celebrate a second final is very, very special.”

With the game slipping out of his side’s grasp after a dominant first half, Harry Kane, who had scored the early equaliser from the penalty spot and looked the sharpest he has been all tournament, and Phil Foden, who hit the post and had a shot cleared off the line, were hooked.

It proved a masterstroke as Palmer delivered the pass and Watkins the unerring finish that won the game and sent England into a second successive Euros final.

England’s progression to a first ever major tournament final on foreign soil, however, is the fruit of a decade of work on a player development programme that has turned perennial underachievers into serial contenders.

Ending a 58-year wait to win a major trophy at senior men’s international level is the final hurdle left to clear for Southgate’s men after serial success at youth level and in the women’s game.

Just months after the Three Lions had crashed out of 2014 World Cup with one game to spare of the group stage, Southgate — then in his role as under-21 boss — appeared alongside the English Football Association’s technical director Dan Ashworth.

They presented a plan termed “England DNA” that had the goal of blending the passion English football was famous for with better technique and a stronger mentality to handle the pressures of major tournament football.

The results since speak for themselves at every level.

Many of Southgate’s squad in Germany have already experienced winning tournaments at youth level.

Anthony Gordon and Palmer were part of the side that beat Spain in the final to win England’s first under-21 Euros for 39 years 12 months ago.

Ezri Konsa won the Under-20 World Cup in 2017, while the same year Foden won player of the tournament alongside Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher in winning the under-17 World Cup.

England’s women won their first major tournament on home soil at the Euros in 2022 and followed that up by reaching the World Cup final last year.

The blend of an old fashioned never-say-die attitude with players of a higher technical standard has carried England on a rollercoaster to the Euro 2024 final.

Hyped before the tournament as one of the favourites, Southgate admitted the expectation weighed heavy as his side stumbled through the group stage, scoring just two goals in three games.

They then needed late fightbacks and individual moments of brilliance from Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka to keep them alive in sneaking past lower ranked opposition in Slovakia and Switzerland to make the last four.

But in Dortmund against the Dutch, England’s decade of planning had its reward in a famous win.

“It will be I would imagine a long time, if ever an English side had 60 percent possession of the ball against a side from the Netherlands. So it shows the more modern England way,” said a beaming Southgate afterwards.

The ultimate test lies ahead against a Spain side that have swept all before them, including Germany and France on the tougher side of the draw.

England have previously suffered a series of near misses under Southgate.

They defied expectations to reach the semi-finals at the 2018 World Cup before missing out on penalties to Italy in the Euro 2020 final on home soil.

More heartbreak came in Qatar two years ago when Harry Kane ballooned over a late penalty against France in a 2-1 quarter-final defeat.

But that experience has put them in a better place than ever before to become champions of Europe for the first time.

“We’re more calm going into the knockout games because the first time we did it in Russia, we hadn’t won a knockout game for 10 years,” added Southgate.

“We hadn’t been through the experience. Quarter-finals, semi-finals, we’ve managed a lot of those games now. The last final was the first European Championship final I’ve ever managed. If I didn’t get anything right, apologies for that. I’m going to try and do better this week.”

The Netherlands, meanwhile, will look back on a satisfying campaign when the bitter disappointment of Wednesday’s defeat fades after few gave them any chance of going so deep at the tournament.

The Dutch would surely have jumped at the possibility of a final-four placing if offered before the start of the tournament but after coming so close to the title decider defeat is hard to swallow, especially when it came so late in the game.

“We felt we were the better team in the last 20 minutes, but then the knockout blow came just before the end. England scored a great goal and then it’s over. That’s hard to accept,” said coach Ronald Koeman.

The Dutch, who have now lost each of their last four semi-final appearances at the Euros, were handed a blow before the start of the tournament with the loss of Frenkie de Jong. Fellow midfielders Marten de Roon and Teun Koopmeiners, both from Europa League winners Atalanta, were also injured weeks before the tournament.

But the Dutch still possessed enough quality to reach the semis where they finally met their match in England at Dortmund;s BVB Stadion.

“I think everyone can be proud of this team. This is also evident from all the supporters who supported us in large numbers. It’s been a great tournament,” added Koeman.

Cody Gakpo’s three goals confirmed he is best on the left side of the attack, while Nathan Ake, Denzel Dumfries and new first-choice goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen emerged with reputations enhanced.

All in all, the Dutch will be confident they have the makings of a side that could challenge again when the World Cup comes around in two years time.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2024