Gareth Southgate has transformed England’s fortunes at major tournaments but once again fell just short as a painful 2-1 defeat in the final of Euro 2024 extended a 58-year wait for glory. Prior to Southgate’s appointment eight years ago, the Three Lions had reached just three major tournament semi-finals and one final in their history, when they won the 1966 World Cup. In the last four tournaments, England have reached three semi-finals and two finals but were undone by familiar failings as Spain rounded off their sublime tournament with a fitting victory.

Southgate had hailed a new “modern England” after they dominated possession to beat the Netherlands in the semi-finals.

But they were reduced to chasing shadows by Spain’s metronomic midfield and cut open by wing wizards Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams in Berlin.

Questions now turn to whether Southgate, whose contract expires at the end of the year, will continue in his role for the 2026 World Cup.

He admitted that the stinging criticism that came his way earlier in the tournament — as fans threw beer cups at the England boss after a 0-0 draw with Slovenia — had taken its toll.

But he is also aware that this is far from the end of the road for this generation of English players.

Cole Palmer, 22, capped his breakout season by scoring his first competitive international goal in the final.

Jude Bellingham turned 21 during the tournament, while Bukayo Saka (22) Phil Foden (24) and Declan Rice (26) will all still be in their prime in two years’ time.

“Without a doubt, England have got some fabulous young players and even the young ones now have got a lot of experience of tournaments,” said Southgate.

“Many of this squad are going to be around in two, four, six, eight years’ time.

“We have now been consistently back in the matches that matter, so it’s the last step that we haven’t been able to do.”

Yet, despite his record of going deep in tournaments, doubts remain whether Southgate is the best man to be in charge of such a richly-talented group of players.

England’s luck runs out

Hyped as one of the pre-tournament favourites, England coughed and spluttered their way towards the final thanks to a series of late goals and isolated moments of individual brilliance.

Bellingham’s overhead kick prevented an embarrassing last 16 exit to Slovakia, Saka saved the day against Switzerland before England advanced in a penalty shoot-out, and Ollie Watkins came off the bench late on to defeat the Dutch.

Palmer looked like he might dig Southgate out of a hole once more by curling in a brilliant equaliser against the run of play.

But England’s luck ran out in Berlin as this time they conceded late to Mikel Oyarzabal.

Southgate bemoaned his side’s lack of control and physical issues with many of his major players out on their feet.

He has to take his share of the blame though for relying so heavily on the same core of players all tournament despite having arguably the deepest squad in the tournament.

Eight England players started all seven games, while Southgate did not turn to his bench until they were trailing against Slovakia, Switzerland and Spain.

That followed a pattern as England threw away dream starts to lose to Croatia in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and Italy in the Euro 2020 final.

Southgate was unable to turn the tide as Luka Modric wrestled control for Croatia six years ago and Jorginho dominated the midfield for Italy in the previous Euros final.

This time Spain took the ball straight away with over 80 percent possession in the first 10 minutes and did not relent, even after player-of-the-tournament Rodri was forced off injured at half-time.

“Ultimately we lost to the better side and we have to reflect on how that happened but it is very clear in my mind,” added Southgate.

“For me the key was position of the ball and we didn’t have enough control.”

Southgate said he will take time to ponder his future.

But as England head home, football does not as the wait for international glory goes on.

England began Euro 2024 as one of the pre-tournament favourites but now go into Sunday’s final as underdogs as Spain have been the standout team at the tournament. La Roja have made Euros history by winning all six of their games en route to Berlin, knocking out hosts Germany and France along the way. We look at how England can raise their game to end a 58-year wait to win a major tournament, and beat three-time Euros champions Spain in the final.

Strike early

England have relied on late goals to sneak past Slovakia, Switzerland and the Netherlands to reach a second consecutive Euros final.

However, they needed extra-time to beat Slovakia and went all the way to penalties against the Swiss in the quarter-finals.

Southgate has also expressed his concern at having a day less to recover from their semi-final.

For all the resilience England have shown, chasing the game against Spain is a different beast.

The Spanish racked up 500 passes in the semi-final win over France to play out the second half by holding onto their 2-1 lead.

With some of England’s top players already showing signs of fatigue, a fast start is needed to dent Spanish confidence.

Beat the press

Spain’s pressing game has been one of the keys to their success in Germany.

No side has forced more turnovers within 40 metres of the opposition goal, two of which have led to goals.

One of England’s problems early in the tournament was failing to take risks in passing forward, even against perceived weaker opposition.

In Berlin they have to be brave to get through the first wave of Spanish pressure and into the spaces where they can do damage going forward.

Feed Foden and BellinghamSouthgate has stuck by starting both Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden all tournament despite both starring in the same role for their clubs last season as advanced midfielders.

The England boss finally got some reward in the semi-final with the Dutch, against a more offensive-minded side, Foden and Bellingham found the space to spark a laboured attack into life.

Foden’s Manchester City teammate Rodri has looked supreme all tournament in the Spanish midfield.

But with Fabian Ruiz and Dani Olmo pushing forward, Rodri is the sole holding midfielder which should leave gaps for Bellingham and Foden to exploit if given the service.

Harness experience

Despite Spain’s much greater pedigree in winning major tournaments, it is England who have the edge in big game experience.

Eight of Southgate’s squad played in the defeat on penalties to Italy at the Euro 2020 final and England also boast seven Champions League winners to Spain’s six.

“Quarter-finals, semi-finals, we’ve managed a lot of those games now,” said Southgate on learning from the final three years ago.

“You’re definitely much better prepared because every experience you go through, you learn from. You’re improving all the time.”

England must lean on that knowhow to get over the line, even if it does mean resorting to the dark arts.

Germany took a roughhouse approach to stopping Spain’s two wing starlets Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams in the quarter-final and it largely worked.

Few in England will care about how the job is done as long as they are parading the trophy around central London on Monday.

Use the bench

Ollie Watkins’ stoppage time strike to beat the Netherlands in the semi-final rewarded Southgate’s bold call to send on the Aston Villa striker for Harry Kane 10 minutes from time.

Too often during this tournament and his tenure in charge, Southgate has been too slow to turn to his bench to influence the game.

In both the 2018 World Cup semi-final against Croatia and Euro 2020 final, England squandered an early lead by slowly losing control of the game.

Cole Palmer, Ivan Toney and Kobbie Mainoo have also made big impacts as substitutes earlier in the tournament.

Blessed with arguably the deepest squad at the Euros, Southgate must use it earlier than he has done so far, even if it means sacrificing one of his star names.

Netherlands vs England Live Streaming Euro 2024 Semi-Final: Gareth Southgate will be aiming to guide England to a second successive UEFA Euro final, as they take on Netherlands in the second semi-final of Euro 2024. England have drawn criticism for a dull brand of football given the rich talent they possess but, once again, find themselves in the final four of a major tournament. Netherlands have been quietly getting better, and a win would see them set up a rematch of the 2010 FIFA World Cup final against Spain.  Netherlands’ Cody Gakpo has been one of the best players of Euro 2024 so far, while England will rely on their starcast of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and co. to fire them to victory.

When will the Netherlands vs England, Euro 2024 Semi-Final match take place?

The Netherlands vs England, Euro 2024 Semi-Final match will take place on Thursday, July 11 (IST).

Where will the Netherlands vs England, Euro 2024 Semi-Final match be played?

The Netherlands vs England, Euro 2024 Semi-Final match will be played at the Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund.

What time will the Netherlands vs England, Euro 2024 Semi-Final match start?

The Netherlands vs England, Euro 2024 Semi-Final match will start at 12:30 AM IST.

Which TV channels will telecast the Netherlands vs England, Euro 2024 Semi-Final match?

The Netherlands vs England, Euro 2024 Semi-Final match will be telecast on the Sony Sports Network.

Where to follow the live streaming of the Netherlands vs England, Euro 2024 Semi-Final match?

The Netherlands vs England, Euro 2024 Semi-Final match will be streamed live on SonyLiv app and website.

(All the details are as per the information provided by the broadcaster)

SRB vs ENG Live Streaming Euro 2024 Live Telecast: When And Where To Watch© AFP

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag hopes to bolster his chances of avoiding the sack by ruining Manchester City’s history bid in the FA Cup final on Saturday. For the second successive season, Wembley will stage a Manchester derby in the showpiece fixture. Last year, City beat United 2-1 in the final on route to an incredible treble-winning campaign that included Premier League and Champions League glory. City remain England’s pre-eminent force, as they showed by clinching an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title last weekend.

United left Wembley still optimistic about the future despite that defeat 12 months ago because Ten Hag had ended their six-year trophy drought by winning the League Cup earlier in the season.

But the Red Devils return to north London shaken by a turbulent campaign that leaves the Dutchman fighting to save his job.

United finished eighth in the Premier League — their lowest final position since 1990 — and failed even to make it out of the Champions League group stage.

Ten Hag has blamed United’s woes on injuries, but that might not convince the club’s new co-owner Jim Ratcliffe to keep faith with him.

The Dutch coach reportedly caused friction among his squad after clashing with Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford, setting the tone for a series of embarrassing defeats against Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Fulham, Copenhagen and Galatasaray among others.

United only made it to the FA Cup final after blowing a three-goal lead and surviving a penalty shootout against second- tier Coventry in a semi-final that underlined the flaws in Ten Hag’s erratic team.

England boss Gareth Southgate, former Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino and Ipswich chief Kieran McKenna have all been linked with the Old Trafford job.

Ten Hag’s hopes of staying at United into a third season would be improved if they can spoil City’s bid to become the first English club to win both the Premier League and FA Cup two years in a row.

“I came here to win trophies,” Ten Hag said. “I’m just focusing on the job I have to do. That is first to win the game on Saturday and then keep going in the project.”

‘Fight until the end’

Beaten in six of the past seven Manchester derbies, United must lift the Cup for the first time in eight years to avoid their first season without European action since 2014/15.

A Europa League place is hardly the prize United fans dream of, but Andre Onana, the club’s goalkeeper, wants to repay their support with victory at Wembley.

Onana, who has endured an error-strewn first campaign at United, said: “It’s been a difficult season for them and for us.

“For me, it was difficult at the start and they were behind me so I’m very thankful. Let’s end on Saturday at Wembley. We will fight until the end.”

City’s dominant reign in the Premier League has extended to six titles in seven years, a dynastic spell that has led many pundits label them the greatest English team of all time.

Pep Guardiola’s men pipped Arsenal by two points after winning their last nine league games, leaving them on the brink of more history at Wembley this weekend.

“To do what we’ve done year in, year out, I don’t think many teams would be able to do that, especially in this Premier League,” City captain Kyle Walker said as he contemplated a potential second successive double.

Walker believes Guardiola’s drive and intensity are central to City’s seemingly unquenchable thirst for success.

“I think it starts from the manager, first and foremost. He’s addicted to winning. He is addicted and it rubs off on us,” he said.

Ominously for United, City playmaker Bernardo Silva said his side, who have won the FA Cup twice in the Guardiola era, are at their best when the stakes are highest.

“Sometimes at the beginning of the season when we don’t have that much pressure, the team relaxes when it shouldn’t and at the end of the season we always compensate for it,” he said.

Manchester City won an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title on Sunday as Phil Foden’s double inspired a 3-1 victory over West Ham. No side in the history of the English top flight had ever won four successive titles, but City have become accustomed to rewriting the record books under Pep Guardiola. The Catalan coach has masterminded six Premier League wins in the past seven seasons. In four of those years, City have also surpassed 90 points. They were pushed this season to deny Arsenal a first title since 2003/04.

The Gunners celebrated a 0-0 draw at the Etihad last month that kept them one point in front of City with nine games to play.

But the champions were relentless in the run-in, winning  their final nine league games, scoring 33 goals.

Guardiola conceded City had felt the pressure in a nervy 2-0 win at Tottenham in midweek that kept the destiny of the title in their own hands.

In the same scenario two years ago, they needed a remarkable late fightback from 2-0 down to beat Aston Villa 3-2 on the final day.

There was far less drama as West Ham melted under the baking Manchester sun in David Moyes’ final game in charge of the Hammers.

Foden was recently crowned the football writers’ player of the year for his best-ever goalscoring season and ended any suspense after just 79 seconds.

The England international arrowed a blistering drive into the top corner to ensure there was no nervous wait for the title party to get started.

Foden doubled City’s lead inside 20 minutes with another cool left-footed finish from Jeremy Doku’s cross for his 27th goal of the season.

City should have been out of sight before half-time as Alphonse Areola denied Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland failed to turn in from point-blank range.

Out of nowhere, there was a twist in the tale of the first half when, from a West Ham corner, Mohammed Kudus’ outrageous overhead kick flew high past Stefan Ortega.

Haaland claimed his second Golden Boot in as many seasons in the Premier League despite a day to forget in front of goal.

The Norwegian missed a huge chance to restore the home side’s two-goal cushion when he spooned over another inviting Doku cross.

City swiftly restored order at the start of the second period and fittingly it was Rodri, himself a player of the year contender, who delivered the knockout blow to Arsenal’s title hopes.

The Spaniard has not been on the losing side for club or country since March 2023.

City’s only three Premier League defeats came in the three games the 27-year-old was suspended.

This time Areola should have done better as the Frenchman failed to turn Rodri’s tame effort round the post.

City could cruise to the finish line and extend a remarkable 35-game unbeaten streak in all competitions from open play.

The only blip on that run was a penalty shootout defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals that  denied Guardiola’s men the chance of back-to-back trebles.

They can make it double next weekend when Manchester United have the unenviable task of stopping their local rivals in the FA Cup final.

By achieving a degree of league dominance never seen before, City have made their case to be considered the greatest side English football has produced.

There was an anti-climactic end as City players had to tell fans to get off the pitch before the full-time whistle.

Thousands of supporters  poured onto the field at the end despite pleas from the club to stay off the playing surface.

Pep Guardiola’s side are in pole position for a sixth English crown in seven seasons.© AFP