England decides in stoppage time against Netherlands – follow the drama in the European Football Championship! – Sports – svenska.yle.fi

Who will face Spain in the European Championship final? Will the golden match be a repeat of last year's women's World Cup final or the men's 2010 World Cup final? England and Netherlands are fighting with each other and the critics.

At 22.00 Netherlands-England

Semi-final, Dortmund Stadium
Commentators: Christopher Herberts and Minya Lassas

Rarely have so few people received so little thanks for so much, that they can deliver a football version of a classic English quote.

Gareth Southgate and his coaching staff have taken England to a whole new level. Today, the national team reaches the semi-finals for the third time in four tournaments, having previously reached the same stage three times in 26 attempts.

Tonight, a new historic achievement can be achieved. England have never played in the final of a major tournament outside their homeland, but if the team achieves their slight advantage in the semi-final, it will be the European Championship final in Berlin on Sunday.

And what does Southgate get for this? Nonsense, to quote directly from BBC presenter and podcaster Gary Lineker's previous analysis of England's European Championship. The coach's public criticisms were personal and intolerant, almost brutal, as if the desert journey from 1966 to 2018 had never existed.

The fact that England's form so far in the tournament has been unexpectedly lackluster and lacking in ideas is also true. England still wants to believe that the direction is right and that the pieces are starting to fall into place. The effort in the quarter-final against Switzerland last time out was his best yet and the right winger's work with Bukayo Saka as a wing-back was the best on the pitch.

Now there is hope for the left wing too, with long-term injured Luke Shaw fit and Mark Guehi returning from suspension. Two left-footed defenders in the backline could provide the missing balance, although Kieran Trippier is still likely to start before Shaw comes off the bench.

The big question marks are the biggest names. Jude Bellingham is exhausted, tired and a little grumpy. Harry Kane is clearly suffering from an injury. Phil Foden and Declan Rice are having a very long season with too many games behind them. Then what's left?

Netherlands then? No, coach Ronald Koeman won't win any popularity contests either. Especially in England, where football people are still bitter after Koeman's red card in a 1993 World Cup qualifier.

In the Netherlands, Koeman's national team was accused of not showing enough enthusiasm and not reaching their potential. The coach's quote after Saturday's quarter-final win over Türkiye was mostly about “proving the doubters wrong”, a direct shout-out to home sofas and expert commentators.

Among the criticism was an orange team playing in the European Commission semi-finals for the first time in 20 years. The beginning eleven is ready for ten parts out of eleven. Koeman is still searching for the third link in the chain alongside Cody Jacobo and Memphis Depay. Donyell Malen is expected to get the opportunity today, with Wout Weghorst remaining in his substitute role.

The question marks on the Dutch side are mostly related to defence. Virgil van Dijk is a major doubt at home, and the attackingly skilled Denzel Dumfries could also pose a security risk. Will Bart Verbruggen, the youngest goalkeeper in the European Championship, be retained if he starts to unravel lightly?

The semi-final awaits more question marks than exclamation marks. In the bowl the right to play the final match on Sunday, as a competitor to Spain.

In this case, the Netherlands has a chance to avenge the 2010 World Cup final, when Spain won 1-0. If England win, it would mean the same final double as in the Women's World Cup a year ago, and then also a 1-0 to Spain as final figures.