Netherlands rallies, England does just enough – Sportsnet.ca

And then there were four. 

The quarterfinal round of Euro 2024 wrapped up on Saturday as the last two teams punched their ticket for next week’s semifinals. 

England put in another suspect display but held its nerve to dispatch Switzerland in a penalty shootout, while the Netherlands came from behind with two late goals in quick succession to get past Turkey. 

Here’s a recap of Saturday’s Euro 2024 action.  

THE RESULTS  

England 1 (5), Switzerland 1 (3) [penalties] in Düsseldorf: Match report || Match stats 

Netherlands 2, Turkey 1 in Berlin: Match report || Match stats 

MAIN TALKING POINTS  

England and the art of mediocrity 

The four remaining nations at Euro 2024 have taken a different path to the semifinals. Spain has used its updated version of tiki taka to outclass their opponents. France has relied on its sturdy back line (just one goal against). A dynamic attack has made up for the Netherlands’ defensive shortcomings.  

And then there’s England, who have put in one laborious performance after another to somehow finish first in its opening round group and win a pair of knockout games to advance to the final four. The Three Lions have been the very definition of mediocrity at Euro 2024, doing just enough — and little more — to advance this far in the competition. Two goals and one win were enough for the English to top a group where only seven goals were scored amongst the four nations.

A very late strike from Jude Bellingham against Slovakia in the round of 16 after England was thoroughly outworked and outplayed paved the way for another victory that was unconvincing. Saturday’s quarterfinal saw Gareth Southgate’s side stumble along before equalizing through Bukayo Saka, riding its luck against an adventurous Switzerland in extra time and eventually winning via a penalty shootout.  

For the fifth straight match at Euro 2024, England’s collection of overhyped stars was the exact sum of its parts, but that was enough to see the Three Lions through once again. Credit to England for twice coming from behind in the knockout stage, and it’s not as though Southgate’s side have been playing “negative” football. But you’re left wondering just how such an underwhelming side has managed to get to the semifinals after five mediocre displays? 

A tale of two Dutch teams in one game

In 1988, Ronald Koeman captained the Netherlands to glory at the European Championship in Germany, which remains the only time the Dutch have won a major international trophy. Thirty-six years later, the Netherlands is on the cusp of reaching the final again with Koeman calling the shots from the touchline as the team’s manager.

The Netherlands entered Saturday’s quarterfinal with great confidence after dismantling Romania 3-0 in the previous round. Expectations were that the dynamic Dutch attack, led by the two-pronged threat of Memphis Depay and Cody Gakpo would run riot against Turkey. But a dismal display in the opening 45 minutes saw the Turks go into the break with the lead courtesy of Samet Akaydin’s goal in the 35th minute.

Realizing the game was slipping away, Koeman brought on Wout Weghorst, the team’s goal-scoring saviour against Poland in their opening game, for the ineffective Steven Bergwijn at the start of the second half. That proved to be the turning point in the match.

The burly Burnley striker provided the Netherlands with a target man up front, and his teammates began to look for him on a regular basis. With Weghorst occupying the attention of Turkey’s centre backs, the Dutch began to assert themselves more in the second half, especially down both flanks.

Eventually, they took the lead with two goals within a six-minute period. Depay’s cross off a short corner found defender Stefan de Vrij who scored on a powerful header, and Denzel Dumfries’ dangerous low cross into the box was knocked in by Turkey’s Murt Muldur while under heavy pressure from Gakpo.

There was no way back after that for the upstart Turks, who failed to properly deal with Weghorst after his introduction.

BEST MOMENT OF THE DAY

Three years ago in the Euro final at Wembley Stadium, Bukayo Saka failed to convert from the spot in the penalty shootout as Italy beat England to hoist the trophy. Saka faced ugly racist abuse online after missing the penalty. Three years later, the Arsenal winger scored in the penalty shootout in a man-of-the-match display to help his country overcome Switzerland. 

BEST SOCIAL MEDIA POST  

No wonder England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford stopped Manuel Akanji’s opening penalty in the shootout.

STAT OF THE DAY  

Considering England’s history with penalties, who could’ve seen this coming?

THREE STARS OF THE DAY  

1. Bukayo Saka (England): The Arsenal scored the equalizer to drag England back into the game and then converted from the penalty spot in the shootout to make amends for his infamous miss during the 2020 final loss to Italy. He also put in a solid defensive shift and made an important clearance deep into extra time to prevent Switzerland from netting the winner. 

2. Stefan de Vrij (Netherlands): Scored his first goal for the Netherlands in nine years to send the Dutch through the semis of Euro for the first time since 2004. The Inter Milan centre back also made three important defensive clearances. 

3. Wout Weghorst (Netherlands): The veteran striker’s introduction at the start of the second half tipped the game in favour of the Dutch. He wasn’t involved in either goal, but his presence inside the penalty area unsettled Turkey’s defence. 

LOOKING AHEAD  

After a two-day break, Euro 2024 resumes next Tuesday when Spain faces France in Munich in the first of two semifinals. The Spanish have been the class of the tournament, while the French have managed to progress in the competition without looking all that impressive.  

Under normal circumstances, Spain would be considered the favourites. But La Roja will be without Barcelona playmaker Pedri (knee injury) while starting centre back Robin Le Normand and influential fullback Dani Carvajal are suspended. Those absences might be enough for Les Bleus to finally put their best foot forward at this tournament. 

John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic can be found here.