England plays Netherlands in the Euro 2024 semi-finals with a spot in the championship up for grabs following another close victory.
In the Three Lions’ quarterfinal matchup with Switzerland, Jordan Pickford emerged victorious for England, saving a penalty kick in a 5-3 shootout victory that guaranteed Gareth Southgate’s team a trip to the Euro 2024 semi-finals. England played better, holding a strong Switzerland team to a 1-1 tie over the course of 120 minutes. The Netherlands will play next, having defeated Turkey 2-1.
Luke Shaw, a defender for Manchester United, is expected to start for Southgate’s team tonight evening after making his first appearance of the tournament off the bench in England’s previous match. Following their 2-1 victory over France last night, the victor of the match will face Spain in the championship match.
Can England, therefore, make it to a second straight Euro final later today? Let’s examine this.
We used the EA FC 24 Euro 2024 game mode to finish the simulation, updating the squads with the most recent suspensions and injuries.
According to our predictions, the Netherlands may line up in the following configuration, 4-2-3-1:
England had a rocky start in Dortmund as the Netherlands had more possession of the ball and more opportunities to score early in the game. Early on, Jordan Pickford was stung by a long-range shot from Memphis Depay, and the Dutch had a chance to lead by one goal when Virgil van Dijk hit the post with a header from a corner.
In the first half, Southgate’s team was unable to muster a shot on goal, and just before halftime, Cody Gakpo struck a powerful shot from the right that forced Pickford into an incredible reflex save. Following an hour or so of riding their luck, Southgate turned to his bench for ideas.
Collecting the ball on the right, Alexander-Arnold played a one-two with Declan Rice to burst down the wing and ease past his marker. The Liverpool defender picked out Jude Bellingham’s run into the box with a pin-point driven cross, and the midfielder fired into the roof of the net with a first-time finish to send the Three Lions into a 1-0 lead.
A goal down, the Netherlands started to throw more bodies forward in the final 15 minutes as they searched for an equaliser, leaving more space for England to attack. Southgate’s side missed a wonderful chance to double their lead when they hit their opponents on the break, but despite the four-on-two situation, a poor cross from Palmer evaded Harry Kane at the far post as the opportunity was wasted.
