Gareth Southgate resigned as England manager two days after they lost to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Gareth Southgate said on July 16 he was resigning as England manager, two days after they lost to Spain in the Euro 2024 final. 

“It’s time for change, and for a new chapter. Sunday’s final in Berlin against Spain was my final game as England manager,” Southgate said in a statement.

Names immediately bandied around as 53-year-old Southgate’s successor are Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, and two former Chelsea handlers, Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino.

Football Association CEO Mark Bullingham said Southgate had “made the impossible job possible”.

Southgate took over in 2016 when England’s fortunes were at a low ebb, having exited the Euros after defeat to Iceland and then Sam Allardyce had to resign over a scandal.

In the last four tournaments Southgate led England to three semi-finals and two finals. 

Prior to his appointment, the Three Lions had reached just three major tournament semi-finals and one final in their history, when they won the 1966 World Cup.

But despite changing the fortunes of the England team, Southgate was unable to land a first trophy for 58 years as England lost 2-1 to Spain on Sunday.

“Gareth has made the impossible job possible and laid strong foundations for future success,” said Bullingham in a statement. 

“In the 25 tournaments post 1966 before Gareth took charge, we had won seven knockout games.

“In his four tournaments we have won nine. So, in his eight years, he has won more games that really matter than in the previous 50 years.

“And of course, we have had strong tournament performances throughout their tenure.

“We came so close to winning the Euros in London and securing the first trophy for our men’s team for over 50 years -– and came so close again in Berlin on Sunday.”

Southgate, who is also credited for restoring pride and lustre to the team as well as turning the players into role models off the pitch, said the job had been a dream of a lifetime for him. 

“As a proud Englishman, it has been the honour of my life to play for England and to manage England,” he said.

“It has meant everything to me, and I have given it my all.”

Lamine Yamal of Spain celebrates with his winners medal and ‘Best Young Player’ award after victory over England in the UEFA EURO 2024 final match at Olympiastadion on July 14, 2024 in Berlin, Germany.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Spain’s teenage phenom Lamine Yamal won the European Championship and the tournament’s best young player award just a day after he turned 17. Yamal earned it mostly while he was still 16, but he crowned his contribution to Spain’s success by setting up Nico Williams’ opening goal in a 2-1 win over England in the final on July 14, 2024.

“This is the best (birthday) gift I could have asked for. It’s a dream come true,” Yamal said. “It got tough when they tied the score, but I don’t know what this team is made of because we always fight back.”

Yamal became the youngest player to appear at the European Championship, the youngest to score in the tournament, and the youngest to play in a final. He finished with four assists and one goal in his debut European Championship.

Yamal plays for Barcelona, following in the footsteps of his idol, Lionel Messi, after coming through the club’s famed La Masia training academy. He’s also the youngest goalscorer in the Spanish league.

Harry Kane and Dani Olmo end in a 6-way tie for Golden Boot top scorer

England striker Harry Kane finished Euro 2024 in a six-way tie for the Golden Boot top scorer as his team lost the final. It was another individual accolade for a player yet to win a major trophy for club or country.

Kane ended the tournament tied on three goals with Spain midfielder Dani Olmo, Germany midfielder Jamal Musiala, Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo, Slovakia winger Ivan Schranz and Georgia striker Georges Mikautadze.

Kane has now been a runner-up in back-to-back European Championship finals after England’s loss to Italy three years ago, and a runner-up in one Champions League final and two English League Cups. He’s won a string of individual awards, including Bundesliga top scorer last season at Bayern Munich, but the German club had its first season without a trophy since 2012.

Kane is one of four men’s players to have been top scorer at both a European Championship and a World Cup, something he achieved in 2018.

UEFA allowed multiple players to share the Euro 2024 top scorer award if they scored the same number of goals, in a change from recent tournaments. At the last men’s European Championship, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Czech striker Patrik Schick both had five goals but Ronaldo was named the winner because he had an assist and Schick had none.

Southgate to discuss England future after Euro final defeat

England coach Gareth Southgate said he would discuss his future in charge of the national team after Sunday’s defeat left him once again trying to work out why glory had eluded his side.

England lost in the tournament’s showpiece match for the second time in a row under Southgate after substitute Mikel Oyarzabal scored an 86th-minute goal to give Spain victory.

Asked whether he would continue in the job, Southgate told reporters: “I totally understand the question and understand you need to ask it, but I need to have those conversations with important people behind the scenes and I’m obviously not going to discuss that publicly first.

“Without a doubt, England have got some fabulous young players,” he added. “We have now been consistently back in the matches that matter. It’s the last step that we haven’t been able to do.”

England – with only the 1966 World Cup to their name as a major trophy – have become a force in tournaments since Southgate took over the team at a low ebb in 2016. They reached a semi-final and a quarter-final at the last two World Cups as well as the final of Euro 2020 — when they lost to Italy on penalties — and 2024.

“It’s hard to reflect so soon after a defeat like this,” Southgate said when asked if he would be in charge of England for the 2026 World Cup. “Of course, to take England to two finals has never been done but we came here to win and we haven’t been able to do that.”

Alvaro Morata of Spain lifts the UEFA Euro 2024 Henri Delaunay Trophy after his team’s victory during the UEFA EURO 2024 final match between Spain and England at Olympiastadion on July 14, 2024 in Berlin, Germany.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Substitute Mikel Oyarzabal scored a dramatic late winner as Spain triumphed in Sunday’s Euro 2024 final, beating England 2-1 to confirm their re-emergence as a force on the international stage and end their opponents’ dreams of winning a first title in almost six decades.

Spain lost influential midfielder Rodri to injury at half-time, but shrugged that off to take the lead within two minutes of the restart through Nico Williams, who was set up by his fellow star winger, Lamine Yamal.

England came from behind as they have done so often at this Euros, as substitute Cole Palmer drove in the equaliser on 73 minutes, moments after entering the fray.

But their resurgence in the game was cut short as Oyarzabal, the Real Sociedad forward, turned in a cross in the 86th minute to hand Spain a record fourth European Championship crown, and a third in the last five editions.

They previously won in 1964, 2008 and 2012, the last two titles coming either side of their triumph at the 2010 World Cup during the golden era of Xavi Hernandez, Xabi Alonso and Andres Iniesta.

Whether this generation, led by the brilliant Yamal who was playing here a day after his 17th birthday, manage to repeat the achievements of that magnificent side remains to be seen, but theirs was a fitting victory.

Spain have been comfortably the best team over the last month in Germany and were not intimidated by the atmosphere at the Olympiastadion, where the majority of the crowd were given over to England’s cause.

England had hoped to finally claim a first men’s international title since their fabled victory at the 1966 World Cup, but fell just short in their first ever final on foreign soil.

After the agony of their defeat on penalties to Italy three years ago, they are the first side ever to lose back-to-back Euros finals.

Captain Harry Kane, meanwhile, is left at the age of 30 still looking for the first trophy of a career so rich in goals, this defeat coming after a season in which he also won nothing with Bayern Munich.

Spain overcome Rodri injury

It was always likely that Spain would control this game, and England spent most of the first half chasing the ball.

Spain controlled the game from the off, but it took until stoppage time at the end of the first half for either team to manage a shot on target, with Phil Foden’s effort from a Declan Rice free-kick delivery being easily saved by goalkeeper Unai Simon.

But it was just before that in which Rodri hurt himself, sliding into teammate Aymeric Laporte on the follow-through as he blocked a Kane shot.

Spain’s outstanding holding midfielder was unable to continue, and made way for Martin Zubimendi at the restart.

It felt like the loss of such a presence in the middle of the park could completely throw Spain off course, and yet they wasted no time in opening the scoring.

England were braced for the danger to come from Spain’s two wingers, and it was they who combined for the goal, as Yamal collected a Dani Carvajal pass and darted inside.

He released a pass for Williams, who scored with a controlled, low first-time shot across Jordan Pickford and into the far corner.

England would now need to come from behind, but then again that was exactly what they had done in each of their three previous knockout games.

Southgate took off his talisman Kane on the hour mark and sent on Ollie Watkins, a repeat of the substitution that won the semi-final against the Netherlands.

Spain had chances to increase their lead and their fans began to greet every successful pass with an ‘ole’, as Southgate tried to turn the tide by sending on Palmer for Kobbie Mainoo.

Within three minutes England were level as Bukayo Saka’s ball in from the right was laid off by Jude Bellingham for Palmer, who found the net from range with a low first-time effort into the corner.

However, Spain grabbed the winner with four minutes to go thanks to their own super-sub.

Oyarzabal played the ball out to Marc Cucurella on the left before racing into the middle to turn his teammate’s low cross into the net, staying just onside in the process.

Spain then held on, although only after a vital clearance off the line from Dani Olmo to deny Marc Guehi at the death.

French referee François Letexier gestures during the UEFA Euro 2024 round of 16 football match between Spain and Georgia at the Cologne Stadium in Cologne on June 30, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

French referee François Letexier was picked by UEFA to handle the European Championship final between Spain and England.

At 35, he’s one of the youngest referees to take charge of a major final. The game is on July 14 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

The referees for the past three men’s Euros finals were 48, 41 and 41 at the time.

Letexier has refereed three games at Euro 2024 including Spain’s 4-1 win over Georgia in the round of 16.

In those games, he did not award a penalty kick and did not send off any player. He showed just 10 yellow cards, including one for Serbia forward Aleksandar Mitrovic, who was judged to have dived in the penalty area in a 0-0 draw against Denmark.

There was no video review controversy in any of Letexier’s games, including the 2-2 draw between Albania and Croatia.

The VAR specialist for the final is also French, Jérôme Brisard.

Letexier rarely shows red cards, with just one in the nine games he handled in the Champions League or Europa League last season from the group stage onward. That was to Bayern Munich’s French defender Dayot Upamecano.

His previous highest profile games for UEFA this season include Real Madrid and Manchester City drawing 3-3 in the Champions League quarterfinals, Bayer Leverkusen winning at Roma 2-0 in the Europa League semifinals, and the season-opening Super Cup last August between Man City and Sevilla.

Letexier joined the FIFA list of referees for international games seven years ago.

The fourth official for the final will be Szymon Marciniak of Poland, the referee at the 2022 World Cup final and 2023 Champions League final who had a controversial season.

Marciniak and his match officials team made consequential stoppage-time decisions in Champions League games between Bayern and Real Madrid in the semifinals and Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle in the group stage.

England’s Ollie Watkins celebrates at the end of a semifinal against the Netherlands at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Wednesday, July 10, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Ollie Watkins is, in his own words, a realist.

He has never pictured himself playing at a major tournament for England — especially when, as a teenager learning his trade as a striker, he was sent on loan to English sixth-tier club Weston-super-Mare in 2015.

So imagine what went through Watkins’ mind when he saw his stoppage-time shot fly past Netherlands goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and into the bottom corner to earn England a place in the European Championship final?

“I don’t think I’ve hit a ball that sweet before,” Watkins said after England’s 2-1 victory over the Dutch in the semifinals on July 10.

Suddenly, Watkins is the toast of England, an improbable turnaround in fortunes for a striker who had played 24 minutes at Euro 2024 — as a substitute in the group stage against Denmark — before replacing captain Harry Kane in the 80th minute for the biggest moment of his career.

Being an understudy for Kane, England’s all-time leading scorer with 66 goals, is a tough business. Minutes are scarce — Kane typically plays the full game — so every opportunity has to be grasped.

Watkins did just that with a goal that fans of the Premier League have seen time and again in his games playing for Aston Villa.

Darting behind the Dutch defense in a manner that is beyond Kane these days, Watkins controlled a pass from Cole Palmer with his back to goal then, in one movement, swiveled and fired a low shot through the legs of Netherlands defender Stefan De Vrij and past Verbruggen from a narrow angle.

“That’s my bread and butter — running in behind, causing trouble,” Watkins said.

If that sounds quite basic, then that’s the kind of striker Watkins is.

Hard-working.

Selfless.

Pretty much the ultimate team player.

“I’ve put in a lot of hard work to get to this point,” said Watkins, who was tied as the fourth top scorer in the Premier League this season with 19 goals. “It’s not just this season, it’s cumulative.

“I’ve done a lot of hard work and I’m going to enjoy every moment.”

That was evident as Watkins was engulfed by joyous teammates on the field at Westfalenstadion after his goal, his fourth for England. Two of them came against San Marino, the world’s lowest-ranked team.

“It was slow motion when I was running to the boys and celebrating… I didn’t want to leave the pitch,” he said.

“I’ve had a few messages from my friends saying, ‘Be patient, you’re going to get an opportunity.’ When I’ve been on the bench, I’ve definitely said to (backup goalkeeper) Dean Henderson, ‘I can make a difference today, I need to get on that pitch.’ Obviously I’ve taken my chance when I’ve got it and I’ve scored and now we’re in the final.”

Southgate smiled as he said Watkins had “saved us another half hour” of extra time, which England needed to get past Slovakia and Switzerland previously in the knockout stage.

“Very, very special for him,” Southgate said.

Spain’s Lamine Yamal, center, scores his side’s first goal during a semifinal match between Spain and France at the Euro 2024 tournament in Munich, Germany, on July 9, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Lamine Yamal became the youngest player ever to score at the European Championship when the 16-year-old netted a stunning goal for Spain in its European Championship semifinal 2-1 victory over France on Tuesday.

Yamal will turn 17 on Saturday, a day before the final in Berlin against either England or the Netherlands.

“I only ask to win, win and win,” said Yamal, who was voted player of the match. “I will celebrate my birthday in Germany with my team.”

Yamal struck in the 21st minute, curling the ball past France goalkeeper Mike Maignan from around 25 yards and into the top left corner.

“I don’t know if it is the best goal of the tournament, but it is the most special goal for me because it is my first goal with the team at a European Championship,” he said.

Yamal is 16 years and 362 days old. The previous youngest scorer at a European Championship was Swiss player Johan Vonlanthen (18 years, 141 days), against France at Euro 2004.

“We are very happy to reach the final. Now comes the most important part — winning the title,” Yamal said. “We were in a difficult stretch after not expecting to concede so early. I just took the ball and wanted to put it right there.

“I don’t try to think about it too much, just enjoy myself and help the team, and if it goes my way, then I am happy (for the goal) and for the win.”

More records

Yamal came to Euro 2024 with a bunch of “youngest” records, and has inevitably set more. He became the youngest player to feature at a men’s Euro when he started in Spain’s opening 3-0 win over Croatia.

The Barcelona teenager was already the youngest player to debut and score in the Spanish league at 15, the youngest player to start in the Champions League and the youngest to score for Spain.

“We saw a touch of genius by a great player who we all know and have to nurture forward,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said. “And I can only advise him to keep going forward with the same humility and work ethic and with his feet firmly on the ground.

“He will keep improving with the same attitude, professionality and maturity that he shows during games, despite being so young, which makes him look older and more experienced than he really is. But above all he should enjoy playing for us. Hopefully we can enjoy him for many years.”

Yamal’s goal Tuesday canceled out Randal Kolo Muani’s opener for France — that was set up by Kylian Mbappé, who was playing without a mask.

Spain turned the match around four minutes after Yamal’s equalizer when Dani Olmo’s goal-bound shot was turned into the net by France defender Jules Koundé. It was originally adjudged by UEFA to have been an own-goal but was later awarded to Olmo.

“They scored first but we planned well for the game and stuck to our plan. Lamine scored a great goal,” Olmo said.

Yamal almost nabbed another spectacular goal nine minutes from time with a powerful strike that flew narrowly over the crossbar.

“When there was only half an hour to go I was thinking that we were going to the final,” Yamal said. “I could only think that.”

“And when the referee blew the final whistle I was very happy because I always remember the last European Championship that I saw with my friends in a shopping mall,” he said, recalling the last time he had to watch as a spectator. “This is a dream come true to reach the final with the national team.”

This combination of pictures created on July 7, 2024 shows France’s head coach Didier Deschamps (left) and Spain’s head coach Luis de la Fuente. File
| Photo Credit: AFP

Spain and France face off for a place in the Euro 2024 final on July 9 after taking contrasting routes to the semifinal clash in Munich.

As France have stumbled their way through to the last four, Spain’s flowing football has made them the team to beat in Germany.

However, they will have to overturn a poor record against the French in major tournament competition to do so.

AFP Sport looks at five classic clashes between the two nations:

Platini’s Euro 84

The first meeting between two of European football’s powerhouses at a major tournament did not take place until the final of Euro 1984.

Hosts France emerged victorious led by the imperious Michel Platini — whose nine goals in a single tournament remains a Euros record.

Platini opened the scoring at the Parc des Princes in a moment that dogged Spanish goalkeeper Luis Arconada for the rest of his career.

Arconada let the French legend’s low free-kick slip through his grasp before Bruno Bellone chipped the Spanish goalie in stoppage time to seal France’s first major tournament victory.

Djorkaeff stunner at Euro 2000

France also defeated Spain 2-1 en route to their second Euros win in the Netherlands and Belgium.

The quarter-final clash in Bruges was a classic featuring a free-kick from another iconic French number 10.

Zinedine Zidane’s sumptuous set-piece put Les Bleus in front before Gaizka Mendieta’s penalty levelled.

Youri Djorkaeff smashed home the winner for a French side that was captained by current boss Didier Deschamps.

Zidane’s last chance

France’s dominance of the fixture in major tournament matches continued on German soil at the 2006 World Cup.

Spain had appeared the team to beat in the group stage and went in front in the last-16 clash in Hannover through David Villa’s penalty.

But France hit back on their road to the final.

Franck Ribery levelled with his first international goal before Patrick Vieira and Zidane — in the tournament that was his swansong — fired France into the quarterfinals.

Spain’s three-peat

Spain finally managed their first competitive win over Les Bleus in the quarterfinals of Euro 2012.

On his 100th international appearance, Xabi Alonso scored both goals in Donetsk with an early diving header and late penalty to seal France’s fate.

Spain would go on to win a third consecutive major tournament after Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.

Mbappe wins the Nations League

The most recent meeting between the sides saw France win the Nations League final 2-1 in Milan in controversial fashion three years ago.

Two goals in barely two minutes sparked the final into life as Mikel Oyarzabal fired Spain in front before Karim Benzema’s stunning strike levelled matters.

Real Madrid-bound Kylian Mbappe then scored the winner as a subtle stepover outfoxed Unai Simon.

Spain were furious the goal was allowed to stand as Mbappe had clearly been standing in an offside position, but the VAR official did not intervene as he deemed Eric Garcia’s attempted clearance as a deliberate play on the ball.

This combination of pictures created on July 7, 2024 shows Spain’s forward Alvaro Morata and France’s forward Kylian Mbappe.
| Photo Credit: AFP

France go into July 9 Euro 2024 semi-final showdown against Spain hoping Kylian Mbappe can finally produce a performance worthy of his superstar status at a tournament in which he has struggled to find form and fitness.

The match in Munich is a mouthwatering prospect and a huge occasion in particular for Mbappe, in his first major tournament captaining his country and just before he starts a new chapter in his career at Real Madrid.

At 25, and having just completed his dream move to the Champions League winners, Mbappe should be in the prime of his footballing life.

But the man who won the World Cup as a teenager and scored an incredible hat-trick in the 2022 final in Qatar, has not been able to play anywhere near his best at the European Championship.

Mbappe joined up with the France squad after a difficult final campaign at Paris Saint-Germain which was marred by a slightly messy divorce from the club as his playing time was reduced.

Already floundering to some extent physically, lacking his usual explosive edge, a broken nose in Les Bleus’ opening game at the tournament against Austria has further diminished him.

He has scored just once, from a penalty, at the Euros and it may be no exaggeration to say his performance in Friday’s quarter-final against Portugal in Hamburg was the worst of his career in such a big game.

Mbappe ended up being substituted halfway through extra time — he later admitted he was simply exhausted — and so watched from the sidelines as his teammates won on penalties.

“He might not have been here at all, so we need to look at it in a positive light,” coach Didier Deschamps told broadcaster TF1 on Sunday.

“Kylian is here, even if he is not at 100 percent, and I know that has an impact on the opposition who are forced to adapt to him.”

Whether Spain are too worried remains to be seen, with Mbappe clearly inhibited by the protective mask he has to wear over his injured nose.

There is little prospect of him challenging for a header, and he has indicated that his field of vision is reduced by the mask.

His poor form, along with that of vice-captain Antoine Griezmann, helps explain why France have scored just three goals in five games on their run to the semi-final — one being Mbappe’s penalty against Poland and the other two coming via own goals.

‘When he talks, we listen’

However, Mbappe’s teammates insist they are not worried about their captain’s performances.

“I don’t think he is going through a bad period. He had a great season. If he is not scoring goals we need to help him. The competition is not over. Apart from his little nose, he is fine,” said Randal Kolo Muani, who played with Mbappe at PSG in the last campaign, on Sunday.

Mbappe is France’s third-top scorer of all time with 48 goals in 83 appearances, but he has just two in his last nine caps.

In the meantime, he has settled into the role of captain which he was given after Hugo Lloris retired in the wake of the 2022 World Cup.

On Friday, after being substituted, television cameras caught Mbappe giving a rousing speech to his teammates just before the penalty shoot-out against Portugal.

“Kylian is the player who went through one-on-one three times in a World Cup final,” said midfielder Youssouf Fofana in reference to his hat-trick against Argentina in Doha.

“So when he talks about penalties before a shoot-out, we listen to him.”

Mbappe is also very much at ease in front of the media, and has notably used the platform given to him in pre-game press conferences to talk politics, making clear his opposition to the far-right National Rally in relation to the French parliamentary elections.

He is a natural leader, but it is goals that this shot-shy France team want more than anything from him.

Mbappe will not come directly up against one of his future club colleagues against Spain, with right-back Dani Carvajal suspended after his sending-off against Germany in the quarter-finals.

Whoever replaces Carvajal, Mbappe will hope to come out on top and lead France to a third final in the last four major tournaments.

Netherlands’ Stefan de Vrij heads the ball and scored his side first goal during the quarterfinal match against Turkiye at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Berlin, on July 6, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

The Netherlands dug deep to come from behind and beat Turkiye 2-1 on July 6 and book its place in the European Championship semifinals.

An own goal from Mert Muldur in the 76th minute, only six after Stefan De Vrij canceled Samet Akaydin’s first-half header for Turkey, was enough for the Dutch in the last of the quarterfinals.

“It was really a battle today,” De Vrij said. “The Turkish team they have a big heart, a lot of quality. In the end we did well and we deserved the win.”

The Netherlands turned the game around after after 1.97-meter-tall (6-foot-5) striker Wout Weghorst made his entrance for the second half.

“He’s always fighting up front, helping the team. And we started to keep the ball, create chances,” De Vrij said. “Then we scored two goals and the whole team fought until the end.”

The Netherlands will face England in the second semifinal in Dortmund on Wednesday. Spain faces France in the first on Tuesday.

“The players showed tonight a big heart,” Dutch coach Ronald Koeman said. “We had to suffer but finally it’s a great success.” Turkey was without defender Merih Demiral, who was suspended for two matches by UEFA for making a nationalistic hand gesture after scoring in Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Austria. The gesture is used by Turkish nationalists and associated with an ultra-nationalist group.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was at the game after he changed his plans because of the diplomatic row with Germany over Demiral’s gesture.

German interior minister Nancy Faeser had said Demiral used his celebration “as a platform for racism” and federal minister Cem Özdemir, a German politician of Turkish descent, said the gesture “stands for terror, fascism.” Many Turkish fans made the gesture on their way to Berlin’s Olympiastadion, and again during Turkey’s national anthem before the game.

The Dutch made a better start, but Turkiye’s defenders dug in to limit the impact of Cody Gapko, Xavi Simons and Memphis Depay. Turkey lined up with five at the back without the ball, as it had in the win against Austria, and gradually improved.

Akaydin rewarded a period of Turkish pressure by scoring in the 35th. Arda Guler delivered a butter-soft cross for the defender to head in off the underside of the crossbar.

It set off wild celebrations among Turkiye’s coaching staff and fans. Guler was swamped in the coaching area with hugs, while fans in the west end of the stadium set off flares. Most stayed standing after the goal.

Turkish supporters greatly outnumbered their orange-clad counterparts in a city that’s home to a large community of people with Turkish roots. Most are descendants of Turkish “guest workers” who arrived in what was West Germany to help rebuild the post-war economy. Germany is home to some 3 million Turks or people with Turkish roots, making them the country’s largest ethnic minority, and the team has enjoyed fevered support at Euro 2024.

Koeman, who won Euro ’88 as a player with the Netherlands, reacted to his team’s half time deficit by sending on big forward Weghorst, whose presence gave the Dutch wingers a target.

Guler hit the post with a free kick, but it was an isolated effort during a period of intense Dutch pressure that finally paid off in the 70th when De Vrij was left free to head in Depay’s cross.

Suddenly the Dutch supporters could be heard again, and they were cheering again shortly afterward when Gapko forced the own goal from Muldur by getting in front of the defender to Denzel Dumfries’ low cross.

“We didn’t start the second half very well and fell behind,” Turkiye captain Hakan Calhanoglu said. “After their second goal, we turned to long balls. Such things happen. It’s an honor to have come this far.”

England players celebrate their victory over Switzerland in the quarterfinal of the Euro 2024 football championship in Dusseldorf on July 6, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Add another chapter to England’s tortuous history with penalty shootouts.

Three years on from losing the European Championship final on penalties, England’s players radiated confidence as they beat Switzerland in a shootout to reach the semifinals of Euro 2024.

Trent Alexander-Arnold blasted the ball into the top corner for the winner as England swept all of its penalties to win the shootout 5-3 after a 1-1 draw in extra time on Saturday.

“The team showed a lot of character, a lot of belief, heart and spirit out there,” Alexander-Arnold told the BBC. “We knew it was going to be tight but whatever it takes, no matter what, we win and that’s all that matters.”

Benched following England’s first two Euro 2024 games, Alexander-Arnold “could have easily thought his tournament was done,” England manager Gareth Southgate said. “I kept talking to him. He’s going to have moments, there’s still a big part to play.”

Bukayo Saka, whose penalty kick was saved to decide the final shootout in 2021, and who was racially abused on social media in the aftermath, also stepped up to score. The 22-year-old had also equalized earlier to ensure the game went to extra time.

The other shootout scorers were Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham, 22 and 21 respectively, and Ivan Toney, who returned in January from an eight-month ban for breaching betting rules.

England was in the lead in the shootout after goalkeeper Jordan Pickford saved from Manuel Akanji, who took Switzerland’s first penalty kick.

Southgate’s own England career was defined by a semifinal shootout miss against Germany when England hosted the 1996 European Championship.

When he became manager in 2016, England hadn’t won a shootout in 20 years. It’s won three of four shootouts in Southgate’s eight-year tenure as manager, but lost the most important one in the 2021 final.

England goes on to play Netherlands in Dortmund on Wednesday for a spot in the final.

Switzerland, which has never reached the semifinals of a major tournament, exits the European Championship on penalties in the quarterfinals for the second time running after defeat to Spain three years ago. “I’m really sad for the players,” coach Murat Yakin said.

It was the second game in a row that England left it late to win, after beating Slovakia 2-1 in extra time in the last 16.

The quarterfinal went to extra time after England forward Saka scored with a shot off the post in the 80th minute to cancel out Breel Embolo’s goal five minutes earlier for Switzerland. It was the first shot on target for England in what was otherwise a cagey and cautious performance from the 2021 runner-up.

The team’s drab tactics have drawn criticism from fans, including some who threw plastic cups in Southgate’s direction after a 0-0 group stage draw with Slovenia.

“When it’s as personal as it’s been in the last few weeks, on a human level it’s quite difficult,” Southgate said on Saturday, going on to defend England’s “streetwise” approach to winning games.

The Swiss had the better chances to win in extra time, including Xherdan Shaqiri hitting the frame of the goal direct from a corner and Zeki Amdouni forcing a save from Pickford in the 119th.

England was without captain and striker Harry Kane for the shootout after he collided with Southgate on the touchline while challenging for a ball and appeared to be hurt. He was replaced by Toney. Kane had cramp, Southgate said.

Taking charge of his 100th game, Southgate has now taken England to at least the semifinals in three of the four major tournaments on his watch.

“We’ve never been to a final outside of England, we’ve never won a Euros,” Southgate said. “So there’s two bits of history we’d like to create.”