Gareth Southgate was delighted to prove the doubters wrong as England advanced to the Euro 2024 final with Wednesday's last-gasp win over the Netherlands.
Ollie Watkins came off the bench to fire home as England's semi-final clash with the Oranje ticked into second-half stoppage time, after they had earlier trailed to Xavi Simons' long-range strike.
The Three Lions have now reached the final at two of four major tournaments under Southgate, having only done so at one of their previous 23, at the 1966 World Cup.
Southgate had faced fierce criticism for a perceived negative approach earlier in the tournament, having cups thrown at him by his own supporters after a goalless group-stage draw with Slovenia.
Speaking at his post-match press conference, he admitted proving his doubters wrong made the victory sweeter.
"We all want to be loved, right?" he said. "When you are doing something for your country and you are a proud Englishman, when all you read is criticism… it is hard.
"To be able to celebrate a second final is very, very special. We have given people some amazing nights, some of the best nights in 50 years."
Timed at 89 minutes and 59 seconds, Watkins' goal was the latest winner scored in a semi-final at a European Championship or World Cup.
The Aston Villa striker has played just 29 minutes off the bench in Germany, but Southgate praised him for staying patient in search of an opportunity.
"It shows the more modern England way, but also the resilience and character of the group," Southgate said.
"Ollie has trained like that every day. He has trained for his moment, no matter how frustrated he might have been.
"They had each others' backs, they bonded so well and tonight it was an example of that."
Ten Hag targets further transfers as Man Utd prioritise squad depth
Erik ten Hag wants more transfer activity ahead of his third season in charge of Manchester United, saying the Red Devils must work to replicate their rivals' strength in depth.
Ten Hag signed a new contract after overseeing United's FA Cup final victory over Manchester City in May, having previously been expected to depart.
Ahead of their first full season under the Jim Ratcliffe regime, United have spent an estimated £88million to acquire forward Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna and centre-back Leny Yoro from Lille.
But after United suffered more injuries causing a player to miss at least one match (45) than any other Premier League team last term, Ten Hag believes more is required.
"I want the squad as strong as possible," Ten Hag told reporters at a press conference ahead of Saturday's friendly versus Arsenal.
"We already made two very good buys, so when everyone is fit we have a team that can beat everyone.
"But also in squad depth, we have to catch up. We know that because when we had injuries, we were vulnerable, and we have to avoid this.
"First, by picking up fewer injuries. And second, our squad has to be that good in depth.
"Of course, we have the quality, but in the depth we have to catch up even more, because this will be a season that is survival of the fittest.
"We proved we can beat the best team. Not just once, we did it twice. Our challenge is to do it consistently, that's what we have to work for."
Slot hopes Jones 'recovers fast' after limping off against Betis
Arne Slot says Liverpool are waiting to discover the extent of Curtis Jones' injury, after the midfielder was forced off during the Reds' 1-0 victory over Real Betis.
The Dutchman oversaw his first win since replacing Jurgen Klopp at Anfield, with Dominik Szoboszlai scoring the only goal in Pittsburgh.
It was the first match of the Reds' pre-season tour of the United States, though it remains to be seen how much of a part Jones will play after he limped off on the half-hour mark.
However, Slot said the decision to withdraw the midfielder was precautionary.
"I think it's too early to tell [how bad it is]," he told reporters during his post-match press conference. "Maybe he could have played on, but I think maybe you could see he was not at 100%.
"In a friendly game, with so many days coming up in our tour, it was best to take him off. We hope he recovers really fast, so we can see him in the next few games.
"It's always a pity if he has to go off after 25 minutes, half an hour. And before that, you could see that he was not completely free.
"It was unfortunate because he had two really good weeks during the training sessions, so I looked forward to seeing him in the game, but unfortunately he had to go off.
Trey Nyoni replaced Jones for the remainder of the game, and Slot was pleased by the 17-year-old's impact.
"The good thing about that was that we brought someone [on] that impressed me in the 45 minutes to an hour he played afterwards.
"I think [Trey] did really well today, but it was only an hour. He was one of the reasons why we scored the goal, because he turned really quickly and [played] a spot-on pass in between the lines. And he was also involved in the biggest chance in the second half.
"We are really careful with him. So he doesn't join every session, and sometimes he goes off a bit earlier. You can see his quality, but you can also see his body still needs some time to grow to play at Premier League level. But he showed some interesting things today.
I think there were a few positive things and, of course, a few things we have to improve. But the positive thing is that we kept a clean sheet. I think we only conceded one big chance and that was somewhere around the last 10 minutes of the game.
"So, we controlled the game really well and, in between, we had a few good attacks where we created a few good chances and scored a good goal."
Young Reggae Boyz blanked 3-0 by Cuba to end Concacaf U-20 Champs pointless
Jamaica’s young Reggae Boyz ended their failed Concacaf Men's Under-20 Championship campaign without a goal or a point after a 0-3 loss to Cuba in their final Group A fixture at the Estadio Leon in Mexico on Friday.
With the victory, Cuba finished third in the group on four points and booked their spot in the quarterfinal round as one of the two best third-place teams. They join group winners United States, who finished with maximum nine points following their 1-0 win over runners-up Costa Rica (four points).
The Jamaicans were again undone by poor defending and a lack of offensive intent, which basically summed up their presence in the tournament, as they showed very little quality from the start.
In fact, they had a slim opportunity to bring their campaign to life but needed to beat Cuba to make it possible. Instead, it was the Spanish-speaking Caribbean team that marched on, as Michael Camejo dazzled Jamaica’s defence with nippy footwork before firing home in the 35th minute.
Cuba doubled their lead in the 42nd courtesy of David Perez, who capitalised on a defensive error.
Romain Blake got Jamaica’s lone attempt on target in the 47th, but was denied by Yurdy Hodelin.
Karel Pérez then wrapped up victory for Cuba when he converted from the penalty spot in the 86th.
Cuba will face the Group B winner, Honduras, in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, United States, through an all-important strike from Nikolas Tsakiris, his second of the tournament, saw off 10-man Costa Rica.
After Aiden Harangi’s early effort was denied by the crossbar, Tsakiris then found the game’s solitary goal in the 37th to ensure three-time champions United States remained unbeaten heading into the knockout stage.
Costa Rica lost Alberth Barahona to a straight red card in the 50th minute.
United States, the reigning champions, will square off against the best third-place team from either Group B or C in the quarterfinal.
Elsewhere, Canada and Honduras also booked their spots in the quarterfinal after contrasting 2-1 and 5-2 victories over El Salvador and Dominican Republic in their final Group B encounters at the Sergio Leon Chavez Stadium.
Both Canada and Honduras ended on seven points each, but the latter secured top spot by virtue of a superior goal difference.
Canada await the runner-up of Group C.
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