England plays Netherlands aiming for back-to-back European finals

Dortmund: England can reach back-to-back European Championship finals when it meets the Netherlands in Dortmund in the second semi-final. The winner plays Spain or France in Sunday’s final.

Kick-off is at 9 pm local time (1900 GMT, 12.30 am [Thursday]).

Match facts

v Both teams conceded the opening goal in their quarter-finals before coming back to win, with England beating Switzerland in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw and the Netherlands winning 2-1 against Turkey.

v After a win on penalties in his 100th game in charge of England, manager Gareth Southgate defended his often-cautious tactics as the kind of “streetwise” style successful teams use.

The backlash from England fans, including some who threw plastic cups at him after a group-stage game, is “quite difficult” to deal with, he added.

v The Netherlands will be by far the highest-ranked team England has faced after group games with Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia, followed by knockout games with Slovakia and Switzerland.

v The referee for the game is Felix Zwayer, who once had ties to a match-fixing scandal in Germany. England midfielder Jude Bellingham was fined 40,000 euros (USD 43,400) in 2021 while playing for Borussia Dortmund for criticizing Zwayer.

Team news

v England has relied on the right-footed Kieran Trippier at left wing-back, but his tendency to cut inside has meant England has made little use of the left-wing all tournament.

Left-footed Luke Shaw came off the bench against Switzerland for his first minutes since February after injury. agencies