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."

With a new head coach on the horizon and a commitment to excellence, Roger Simmonds, general manager of Dunbeholden FC says the club is embracing a new era that is focused on strategic growth and, by extension, becoming perennial title contenders in the Jamaica Premier League (JPL).

In fact, it is the implementation of that for propelling the club to new heights, and Lenworth “Teacha” Hyde’s ability –or lack thereof –to align with the movement that Simmonds said resulted in the club parting ways with the coach on Wednesday, ahead of preseason preparation for the upcoming 2024-25 JPL season.

Hyde, who took the reins from Harold Thomas for the 2023-24 campaign, guided the St Catherine-based club to an eighth-place finish on 37 points, having won 10 of their 26 games, while losing nine and drawing seven.

"The club's management was always in dialogue with Mr. Hyde and the coaching Staff from the beginning of last season and throughout the season, as we sought to align our vision and philosophy while maintaining a high level of performance on and off the field,” Simmonds shared.

Dunbeholden FC in Concacaf Caribbean Cup action.

“Despite the on-field failures (8th place), we nevertheless tried to persevere, but there are difficulties with the alignment of our vision off the field and consequently we felt it was best for both parties to separate amicably before the start of the 2024/25 JPL Season. We have already identified his successor, and the club will make an announcement in another week or so,” he told SportsMax.TV.

Despite Hyde’s departure, Simmonds is optimistic about the future, and is eager to build on the foundation that was established two years ago when Dunbeholden contested its first ever JPL final since earning promotion at the start of the 2018-19 season.

It was on the back of that runner-up finish that Dunbeholden also made an historic appearance in the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup, where they ended with four points from four games.

“We had some positives to celebrate such as the development and emergence of young players, as well as the continued strengthening of the club's structure. Despite numerous player and coaches’ movements (out), we were still competitive in all games throughout the season, which underscored the resilience of the club,” Simmonds stated.

“However, not making the JPL Playoffs after being a finalist the previous season, and not reaching the second round of the Concacaf Club Championships were major low points for us. As a result of the above and other reasons, we are cognisant of the fact that we have to be intentional about where we are going, how we should get there, and the team –management and players –that can get us there in our stated timelines,” he added.

Dunbeholden FC in JPL action against Mount Pleasant.

On that note, Simmonds stressed the need to enhance the club's performance and competitiveness in the JPL. Central to this strategy is the recruitment of a new head coach who aligns with the club’s ambitions and philosophy.

“The mandate for the club, management, technical staff, and players is that it cannot be business as usual. Operating a Football Club is an expensive venture and therefore a reasonable return on investment would be at least to be able to participate in the playoffs with the intention of securing Concacaf Football. With that said, we are in the process of re-energizing the team through employment of personnel, both on and off the field, for the new JPL season and in due course the information will be made available to the public,” he declared.

Having lost a number of players such as Demario Phillips, Atapharoy Bygrave, and others to Mount Pleasant FA, along with talismanic midfielder Nickoy Christian to Waterhouse, Simmonds, gave the impression that the club has not ruled out the possibility of bringing those players back in to strengthen the squad.

“We would have lost not just players, but coaches too which says we are doing something right. But, no final decision has been made as yet regarding any of those players,” he shared.

Ten-man Colombia held firm as they edged past Uruguay 1-0 to book their place in the Copa America final.

The in-form team looked up to their usual tricks as Jefferson Lerma scored the winner in the first half, but they had to work hard to keep their impressive unbeaten streak alive.

Daniel Munoz's sending off on the stroke of half-time put Colombia under pressure, but they thrived under it, nullifying Uruguay's late attempts to salvage a result in North Carolina.

Chasing just their second-ever Copa America title, Los Cafeteros will play defending champions Argentina in the final on Sunday.

The tournament's highest scorers started brightly, with Munoz thumping a powerful header just wide of Sergio Rochet's post for Colombia.

However, the tide soon turned, and Darwin Nunez arguably should have had a first-half hat-trick as he missed a flurry of golden chances.

Twice he fired wide of Camilo Vargas' right post, sending the goalkeeper scrambling with the first as it flew inches wide, before lifting a third just over the crossbar from the edge of the box.

Colombia soon showed their threat from set-pieces though, with Lerma rising high to nod in a corner from James Rodriguez, who got his record-breaking sixth assist of the tournament.

Munoz received his marching orders shortly after though, having received a first booking for a sliding tackle on Maximiliano Araujo, he then foolishly elbowed Manuel Ugarte in the chest, leaving the referee no choice but to send him off.

Luis Suarez was given 25 minutes to make an impact in the second half and was inches away from doing so -  unmarked on the edge of the box, he rattled the post after putting his laces through a powerful shot.

Moments later, Federico Valverde sneakily tried to beat Vargas with a low strike into the bottom-left corner, but could only drill it wide of the target.

Kevin Castano had two glorious chances to secure the victory for Colombia in the dying minutes; he fired wide with the first, but was unlucky with the second as a big save by Rochet sent his effort onto the crossbar.

Uruguay come up short in front of goal

Coming into this match, Uruguay had conceded just once at the Copa America, in their opening match against Panama.

Despite ending a run of three clean sheets, that was not their focus. Instead, they were let down by their lack of a clinical edge in the final third. 

At the end of the group stages, Uruguay were the high scorers, having netted nine goals on their way to topping Group C, but in the knockout rounds, they failed to hit the back of the net.

Nunez had all four of their first-half shots without hitting the target once, and La Celeste struggled to use their man advantage in the second as they managed just two tame shots on target by the full-time whistle.

James makes history

James has gone through something of a renaissance at this year's Copa America, proving to be the star man for Nestor Lorenzo.

His assist for Lerma's opener was his sixth of the tournament, the highest tally by a player at a single edition on record (since 2011), surpassing Lionel Messi's tally of five from 2021.

He did not see out the whole game on this occasion – after picking up a yellow card for dissent, the head coach smartly took him off to make sure he would be available for the final.

Lerma's header was the fifth such goal scored by Los Cafeteros, while also bringing their tally up to eight goals from set-pieces.

They showed a different side to their game as they dug deep to get the all-important win, extending their unbeaten streak to 28 games, with Argentina awaiting them in the final.

Ronald Koeman is proud of the Netherlands, who he says, "fought like lions", despite missing out on a place in the Euro 2024 final.

The Oranje were minutes away from going to extra time when Ollie Watkins scored England's winner in the 90th minute after Harry Kane had cancelled out Xavi Simons' early opener.

Koeman's side were bidding to reach their first Euros final since they won the tournament back in 1988, but narrowly missed out on the showpiece meeting with Spain in Berlin.

It was their fifth defeat in six semi-finals in the competition, but the Dutch head coach instead chose to focus on the positives from their campaign.

"We should be proud because we've achieved many things in these weeks and there's no criticism after seeing how my player fought until the end," Koeman told reporters after the match.

"We have fought like lions. We just needed a little more balance and the English team did it better than us, so congratulations to them.

"I have to thank my players because they believed in something, and it was good to see that.

"Although now, it's too late. We can't do anything with that feeling, but in the future, we will come back stronger."

The Netherlands have not reached the final of a major tournament since the 2010 World Cup, losing to Spain on that occasion.

Koeman's optimistic outlook stretched to the future, as he turned his attention to what they could accomplish at the 2026 World Cup.

"I believe our team are able to do more and there are also players who will join us in the future," Koeman added. "Some people were not able to play because they were not fit.

"We have worked in a proper way together; it was important, and it gave us a path to follow. We have to improve some aspects as well, but I think we were really close to the finals.

"I wish I could see them playing in the final, but it's not possible. And I feel so sorry about that."

Gregg Berhalter has been relieved of his duties as the USA head coach following their early Copa America exit on home soil.

The USA got off to a promising start in Group C, winning their opening match against Bolivia 2-0.

However, a shock 2-1 defeat to Panama followed by a narrow 1-0 loss to Uruguay meant they finished third, missing out on a spot in the knockout stages.

Those results raised doubts over Berhalter's future with the team, despite it being believed he would lead them out at the 2026 World Cup, which they are co-hosting with Canada and Mexico.

He was the first American to coach the team having played for them in the World Cup and was initially hired in December 2018.

Berhalter led the USA to the knockout stages of the World Cup in 2022, before leaving his role when his contract expired at the end of that year. He was then rehired in June 2023.

Across his two spells, the 50-year-old led the team to three Concacaf Nations League titles in 2020, 2023 and 2024 and won 44 of his 74 games in charge.

King Charles has asked England to avoid any more late drama in Euro 2024 after congratulating them on reaching the final.

The Three Lions had to come from behind for the third match in a row, beating the Netherlands 2-1 on Wednesday in the semi-final.

Ollie Watkins picked out the bottom corner in the 90th minute to send them into their first major tournament final on foreign soil.

Having forced extra time to avoid an early exit against Slovakia in the last 16 thanks to Jude Bellingham's stunning overhead kick before Harry Kane scored the winner, England then needed penalties to edge past Switzerland in the quarter-final.

Watkins' strike has set Gareth Southgate's side up for a second consecutive final at the Euros, having suffered heartbreak in a penalty shootout defeat to Italy in the last one at Euro 2020.

"My wife and I join all our family in wishing you the warmest congratulations on reaching the final of the UEFA European Championship - and in sending our very best wishes for Sunday's match," the King said in a message to the England team.

"If I may encourage you to secure victory before the need for any last minute wonder-goals or another penalties drama, I am sure the stresses on the nation's collective heart rate and blood pressure would be greatly alleviated!

"Good luck, England."

England will face Spain in the showpiece match in Berlin on Sunday, looking to end their 58-year wait for a major trophy.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds says his ministry is open to assist in amending the country’s immigration laws, to bolster the Soca Warriors talent pool and improve their chances of securing FIFA World Cup qualification.

Hinds declaration was a response to calls made by senior Soca Warriors Head coach Angus Eve and former Soca Warriors captain Dwight Yorke, for a possible review of citizenship laws, to allow for heritage players to represent the twin island republic.

Currently, chapter two, section 17 (ii) of Trinidad and Tobago’s Constitution states that “A person shall not become a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, if at the time of his birth – (a) neither of his parents is a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago.”

Both Eve and Yorke expressed views that Trinidad and Tobago’s laws, which limits representation to players whose parent(s) have Trinidad and Tobago lineage, places them at a disadvantage, as other Caribbean territories are capitalizing on heritage players whose grandparents have local lineage.  

Hinds concurred, and pointed out that discussions have already been had with Minister of Sport and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe and Attorney General Reginald Armour regarding the matter.

“I certainly heard from the sports minister and AG, this is a matter that arose around us. National security is very open to any policy shifts that might emanate from the sports ministry in this regard. And it is the AG as the government’s legal adviser who will draft any necessary amendments to the immigration act or whatever might be necessary to facilitate that,” Hinds told T&T Newsday.

Having participated at the 2006 World Cup, Trinidad and Tobago has a grand opportunity to make another appearance at the 2026 global showpiece to be hosted jointly by Concacaf powerhouses United States, Mexico and Canada.

With those team not involved in qualifying, the Soca Warriors could secure one of three automatic spots to the tournament. They have already started the qualifiers with 2-2 and 7-1 scorelines against Grenada and Bahamas respectively.

They are scheduled to face St Kitts and Nevis and Costa Rica when qualifying resumes next year.

“If there is anything we can do to enhance that (the country’s sporting success) we most certainly would. The Minister of Sport did raise that matter with me and she is aware that she has the full support of this minister representing national security. We do nothing passively. We are very active on the job and in service of the people of TT,” he added.

Meanwhile, Eve welcomed the fact that the change is somewhat in motion, as he believes it will not only benefit sport, but all other sectors.

“If they are reviewing it for the betterment of, not just for football but for everyone as a whole in the country because there are a lot more professional people who can come back into the country in different capacities to continue in the development of TT,” Eve said.

“If it is looked at, it could possibly enhance what we do in TT by getting more professional people, whether it be sports, business or anything. It wouldn’t only augur well for sport, but holistically. It broadens our talent pool in different fields; people who can give back to the country that their parents or grandparents were born in,” he reasoned.

Virgil van Dijk bluntly said "it sucks" after the Netherlands crashed out of Euro 2024 following their last-gasp defeat by England.

The Oranje were seconds away from extra time in what was their first European Championship semi-final appearance for 20 years, after Harry Kane's penalty cancelled out Xavi Simons' earlier effort.

However, there was to be a late twist in Dortmund as substitute Ollie Watkins drilled a 90th-minute winner beyond Bart Verbruggen's helpless dive to send England through to face Spain in Sunday's showpiece.

It meant a fifth defeat in six European Championship semi-finals for the Netherlands, whose sole victory came when they lifted the trophy on German soil in 1988. 

"I have no words for this," Van Dijk said. "When you concede so late, it's terrible. This hurts a lot. You give it your all and if it still turns out like that, it sucks.

"You have more possession, and you want to take advantage of the little moments you get. It felt like we could make it 2-1. But that didn't happen, and now we're standing here empty-handed."

Speaking to beIN SPORTS, Van Dijk also hit out at the decision to award England's first-half spot-kick after a VAR check, with Denzel Dumfries harshly penalised for clipping Kane.

"I think it says it all that the referee ran in quite quickly after the game, I had no time to shake his hand," Van Dijk said.

"It is what it is. The game is lost. Certain moments were obvious they should have gone our way, but they didn't. It's difficult to accept it.

"It's been a long year, a tough year. We had a big dream and we felt we could have achieved that."

Despite the disappointment of narrowly failing to deliver their nation's fifth major tournament final appearance, Ronald Koeman insists his players can take plenty of pride for their efforts.

"First half, England deserved [to win]. Second half, not; it was more 50-50," he told ITV Sport. "They created problems in our midfield in the first half, we didn’t control how they played between the lines. We had to change the midfield.

"After that, it was a 50-50 match. My feeling was in the last 25 minutes, our team was more fresh than England, but they scored a great goal in the last minute, and that's football.

"It's a great goal. Maybe, we deserved extra time, but we can be proud of the national team, proud of the players, because we had a great tournament."

England are into a second consecutive Euros final after another comeback win.

The Netherlands may have drawn first blood in Dortmund through Xavi Simons, but the Three Lions produced their best performance of the tournament so far to turn that around.

Harry Kane drew them level in the first half from the penalty spot, but it was Ollie Watkins who proved the hero, scoring in the 90th minute to send the England fans into raptures.

The Oranje could not have hoped for a better start to their 100th major tournament match as Simons scored the earliest semi-final goal at the Euros (seven minutes) since Alan Shearer against Germany in 1996 (third minute).

They could not hold onto their lead for long though, as Denzel Dumfries gave away a spot-kick, and Kane made no mistake from 12 yards.

The England captain is now the outright leading goalscorer in the knockout stages of the European Championships, with that his sixth such goal.

In fact, he also now has more knockout stage goals in major tournaments than any other European player (nine), overtaking Gerd Muller, Miroslav Klose, Antoine Griezmann, and Kylian Mbappe (all eight).

Gareth Southgate's side arguably should have led by half-time, but Phil Foden's wonderful curler struck the post – the fourth time England have hit the woodwork at Euro 2024, more than any other team.

As the game lost its momentum in the second half, the England manager got his changes just right.

Kane was taken off for just the second time in the knockout stages of a major tournament before 90 minutes – and the first time with his side not in front.

However, it proved an inspired choice as his replacement, Watkins, scored only the second-ever 90th-minute winning goal in a Euros knockout tie, after Germany v Turkiye in the 2008 semi-final. 

Timed at 89:59, it was the latest winning goal scored in either a World Cup or European Championships semi-final (excluding extra time). It was also England's only shot on target in the second half.

England are the first side to reach the final despite trailing in both the quarter-final (where they beat Switzerland on penalties after a 1-1 draw) and semi-final en route.

It will be their second consecutive Euros final under Southgate (also Euro 2020) having only reached one of their previous 23 major tournament appearances prior to his tenure - during their World Cup win in 1966. 

Unfortunately for the Netherlands, they tumbled at the last hurdle before the showpiece match – it is the seventh time they have been eliminated at the semi-final stage, the second-most of any European nation after Germany (eight).

Spain await in Berlin. It means England will be the first team in Euros/World Cup history to face five different countries all beginning with the same letter in a single tournament (Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Spain). How's that to round things off?

Gareth Southgate saluted England's "best achievement" as they beat the Netherlands 2-1 to reach the Euro 2024 final - and their first in a major tournament on foreign soil.

The Three Lions set up a final showdown with Spain, who beat France by the same scoreline in the other semi-final, after edging out the Oranje thanks to Ollie Watkins' last-gasp winner in Dortmund.

The Aston Villa forward climbed off the bench to replace Harry Kane, whose penalty cancelled out Xavi Simons' early strike, and struck in the 90th minute to send England into delirium.

Southgate's side fell at the final hurdle at the delayed Euro 2020, as they suffered penalty shootout heartbreak against Italy at Wembley.

But having become only the fourth nation to reach successive European Championship finals, the Three Lions now have the opportunity to go one better on Sunday and potentially end their 58-year wait for major tournament silverware.

"This has to be the best [achievement]," Southgate told ITV Sport. "Very special night and, hopefully, very special for everyone at home. I thought our performance was really good.

"It was a complicated game, they kept changing, we had to respond. We caused them problems all night, and the end is so special for the squad.

"You knew with the Netherlands, they have more quality, so they can punish you like they did, but there's more opportunity to play.

"The most important thing is that the whole squad are ready to come into the game. We spend a lot of time with [the substitutes], and I'm so chuffed for Ollie.
 
"We felt, energy wise, we were starting to lose some pressure [in the second half]. Ollie can press well and make those runs in behind. We thought it was a good moment to try him.
 
"We deserved to win tonight. We were very fluid in our formation, it wasn't just a back three, we had to adapt all the time and the players made so many good decisions.

"This is what we came here to do, and we have been building for two years. We have got to enjoy tonight, but equally, it is such a quick turnaround and we have a day less [to prepare] than the team who have been the best at the tournament."

Where did England's tournament start to turn?

Was it with Jude Bellingham's stunning overhead kick against Slovakia?

Was it with Bukayo Saka's exquisite equaliser against Switzerland?

Was it when Jordan Pickford and Trent Alexander-Arnold dragged them over the line in the shootout?

Or what about seven minutes into Wednesday's meeting with the Netherlands, when Xavi Simons cannoned in the earliest goal scored in a Euros semi-final since Alan Shearer scored for England against Germany in 1996?

Strange, perhaps, but it was that goal that seemed to see the shackles finally come off for the Three Lions. They had stuttered and staggered their way through Euro 2024, but eventually that approach can, and almost certainly will, come unstuck.

Yet after that Simons strike had rifled in beyond Pickford, a fire seemed to spark in England's bellies. 

This was the time it had to come good. It was do or die. And for much of Wednesday's clash in Dortmund, England were the better side and, arguably for the first time in the tournament, deserved victors.

It did not come easy, of course. Harry Kane pulled them level from the spot after a contentious VAR decision in the 18th minute. Phil Foden had a deft touch cleared off the line and saw the post deny him a wondergoal. 

One of the criticisms aimed at Gareth Southgate has been his use of Foden, but a switch of system in the quarter-final saw the Premier League's Player of the Season truly arrive in Germany. In the first half, he completed all 27 of his passes, and had the most shots (three). Behind him, Kobbie Mainoo, the youngest player to feature for England in the semi-finals of a major tournament, dovetailed brilliantly with Declan Rice.

The second half was a different story. Ronald Koeman reacted, the Dutch shored things up in midfield. They had the best chances, looking dangerous from set-pieces.

For long swathes of the second period, it looked as though the fear of losing had come back to freeze England, to grip Southgate and his players. Were they playing for extra time? Had that bravery gone?

But at the right time, Southgate turned to his bench. Kane, now the record goalscorer in the knockout stage at the Euros, made way for Ollie Watkins. Foden went off to be replaced by Cole Palmer. Bukayo Saka had just seen a goal disallowed, though extra time seemed to be beckoning.

And like his changes worked against Switzerland; like they worked against Slovakia, when Ivan Toney helped turn the tide, Southgate's substitutions worked again.

Watkins stretched the Dutch defence, Palmer threaded through an inch-perfect pass. Watkins spun Stefan de Vrij and, with a swish of his right boot, from the tightest of angles, picked out the opposite corner with a finish that came with an expected goals value of just 0.1.

It is only the second 90th-minute winning goal in a European Championship knockout tie. Timed at 89:59, it was the latest winning goal scored in the semi-final at the Euros or Wolrd Cup (excluding extra time).

It was also England's only shot on target in the second half of this match.

But the bravery was there. The intent was there from the moment England went behind. 

"It's something that is built through failure, through the first few games that didn’t go so well, but it's important you build that fire and build some sort of resistance through it. It's important we came together," said Bellingham, whose lung-busting run down the left in the dying seconds helped get England over the line.

"These moments are great – it brings us together as a team and a family, because of that you get stronger. They make us more together, it's about taking that into the final now."

England are together. They have now reached the final in two of their four major tournaments under Southgate (also Euro 2020) – they had only done so in one of their previous 23 World Cup/Euros appearances.

They finished this match with 1.3 xG to the Dutch's 0.56. They had more shots (nine to seven) and more touches in the opponent's box (19 to 11). They were better. Now, they are on the brink of history. Spain stand in their way.

Harry Kane revelled in the "special" feeling after England clinched their Euro 2024 final place in dramatic fashion, acknowledging the Three Lions now have "one more game to make history".

Ollie Watkins climbed off the bench to score a 90th-minute winner as Gareth Southgate's side edged out the Netherlands to set up a showdown with Spain in Sunday's showpiece.

The match had appeared set to head for extra time with Kane's penalty drawing England level after Xavi Simons had fired the Oranje in front.

But there was to be a dramatic late twist with Watkins, on as a substitute for the skipper, sending the Three Lions through to their first final at a major tournament on foreign soil, and move them within one victory of their first silverware since 1966.

"History made. Amazing achievement," Kane told ITV Sport. "Every player, every member of staff, I'm so proud of them.

"To do what we've done away from home is really special. There's that feeling there's one more left, and we need to do that on Sunday.

"Especially in the first half, we had a lot of control. Second half, there were a few tired legs out there. Overall, I thought we deserved to win it.

"There's one more game to make history. That's what we're excited about. It's been a tough journey, but there's one more. 90 minutes, 120, penalties - whatever it takes, we'll be there. I'm looking forward to it."

Watkins was making only his second appearance at the tournament, having also replaced Kane during England's second Group C game against Denmark.

Kane and Jude Bellingham paid tribute to the Aston Villa forward, saluting his patience and for grasping his opportunity.

"We talk about being ready. We're a big team at being ready," Kane said. "When it matters, you might get five minutes, one minute, but you can make a difference, you can win us a tournament.

"He's been waiting, he's been patient. What he did was outstanding and he deserves it."

Bellingham added: "I'm so happy for him. He came on, took his opportunity. As a team, we're buzzing for him.

"You miss your family, your holidays and you're not starting every game like you would at the club – but Ollie’s a hero, he's saved us."

Ollie Watkins told Cole Palmer he would set him up for a goal as they were waiting to come on for England.

The forward then scored the winning goal, assisted by Palmer, to seal a 2-1 win over the Netherlands and book their place in the Euro 2024 final.

The Three Lions had to come from behind once again after Xavi Simons' early goal gave the Netherlands the lead, before Harry Kane levelled from the spot shortly after.

Asked about his goal, Watkins said he knew what to expect as soon as Palmer got the ball at his feet.

"I've been waiting for that moment for weeks," Watkins told ITV Sport after the game.

"It's taken a lot of hard work to get to where I am today. Grateful I got the opportunity, and I grabbed it with both hands. I'm delighted.

"I swear on my life and my kid's life, I said to Cole Palmer: We're coming on today and you're gonna set me up.

"And that's why I was so happy with Coley. I knew as soon as he got the ball, he was gonna play me and you've got to be greedy.

"Touch and finish. When I saw it go in the bottom corner, best feeling ever."

One criticism of Gareth Southgate at the tournament so far has been the timing of his substitutions, with the England manager often choosing to leave it late before making any changes.

Watkins has defended his manager's tactics, crediting the "special" nature of the squad.

"There's been a lot of critiscism but at the end of the day we're in the final," he added. "So forget the outside noise, we're in the final.

"It's special. We've got that bounce-back factor. Going a goal behind seems to kick us into gear.

"We never give up. We've won on penalties, we've come from behind. One more game. We're ready for Spain."

Ollie Watkins was the hero as England booked their place in the Euro 2024 final with a last-gasp 2-1 victory over the Netherlands in Dortmund.

The Aston Villa forward climbed off the bench to strike a 90th-minute winner in Dortmund, where the Three Lions set up a showdown with Spain in Sunday’s final.

The contest appeared set to head into extra time after Harry Kane's penalty cancelled out Xavi Simons' impressive long-range strike.

However, there was to be a 90th-minute twist when Watkins drilled past Bart Verbruggen to send Gareth Southgate's side through to their second successive Euros showpiece.

It took only seven minutes for this tie to spark into life – Simons robbed Declan Rice of possession and, from 20 yards out, unleased a fierce strike that flew beyond Jordan Pickford and into the left-hand corner.

England had their equaliser 11 minutes later, albeit in contentious fashion. Kane lashed an effort over, but after a VAR check, Denzel Dumfries was deemed to have caught the Three Lions captain with a high boot.

Dumfries redeemed himself five minutes later as he cleared off the line to prevent Phil Foden from completing the turnaround.

He almost put the Dutch ahead just before the half-hour, only for his header to cannon away off the crossbar.

Foden went agonisingly close again soon after – his curling effort rattling the left-hand upright with Verbruggen beaten.

The Netherlands created the first decent opportunity of the second half with Pickford beating away Virgil van Dijk's volley from a Joey Veerman free-kick in the 64th minute.

England thought they had taken the lead with 11 minutes remaining when Bukayo Saka turned home Kyle Walker's low cross, but the strike was ruled out with the latter having strayed marginally offside.

But with the tie seemingly destined for extra time, Cole Palmer slipped in his fellow substitute Watkins, who superbly found the opposite corner from a tight angle to send the Three Lions into delirium.

More history for Southgate's Three Lions

England advanced to their first major competition final on foreign soil in the most dramatic manner, while becoming the first team in European Championship history to reach the final despite trailing in both their quarter-final and semi-final ties.

Kane drew England level from the penalty spot with his record-breaking sixth goal in the Euros knockout stages.

The England skipper also now has more knockout stage goals in major tournaments than any other European player with nine, while he became the third player to score in successive European Championship semi-finals – and first since Viktor Ponedelnik and Valentin Ivanov, who both achieved the feat for the Soviet Union in 1960 and 1964.

Kane then made way for Watkins, who more than made his mark. His brilliant strike from a tight angle was only the second ever 90th-minute winning goal in a European Championship knockout tie, after Phillip Lahm’s effort for Germany against Turkiye in the 2008 semi-finals.

More importantly, it takes the Three Lions within one more victory of ending 58 years of hurt.

More semi-final heartbreak

Once again, the semi-final proved to be the stumbling block for the Netherlands at the Euros.

The Oranje have fond memories of the BVB Stadion. It was here that they beat Brazil 2-0 to reach the World Cup final 50 years ago.

However, Simon's early strike proved a false dawn for the Dutch and Koeman, who was part of the side that recorded their only previous win in a European Championship semi-final – against Germany in 1988, in the tournament they went on to win.

Watkins' dramatic winner condemned them to a fifth defeat in six appearances at this stage of the competition. Better luck next time?

Serhou Guirassy's proposed move to Borussia Dortmund is in doubt, after his medical revealed an injury "that requires further investigation".

The Guinea forward was set to join the Black and Yellow, and flew to Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday to complete a medical.

However, it remains to be seen whether Guirassy, who was the Bundesliga's second-leading scorer last season with 28 goals behind only Bayern Munich's Harry Kane (32), will complete that move.

Dortmund wrote on X: "During a medical examination of Serhou Guirassy, ​​an injury was discovered that requires further investigation".

Guirassy's 28 goals were the most scored by a Stuttgart player in a single Bundesliga season, breaking Mario Gomez's 15-year record (24 in 2008-09).

The 28-year-old striker also equalled a Bundesliga record by scoring the opening goal in 12 matches, matching Gerd Muller (1969-70), Ailton (2003-04) and Stefan Kiessling (2012-13).