Netherlands v England: Euro 2024 semi-final – live | Euro 2024

63 min England have lost their way since half time. The subtle mood changes in these games are fascinating; you can see the Netherlands players slowly twigging that this is now an even game again.

62 min “Hubris invites us already to be thinking about how this England would cope against Spain – but it wouldn’t be this England, would it?” says Charles Antaki. “You won’t see Spain giving the ball away so much leaving a vacuum in midfield. As ever in an equation with two unknowns, we don’t know how much the score is a product of a lot of X or very little of Y.”

That’s an excellent point. If England get to the final they will have 40 per cent possession at most, certainly in the first half. Who knows, that might suit them after a tournament of low-block frustration.

61 min Schouten’s cross is too deep for Weghorst and Gakpo. Netherlands are having one or two attacks, though. England may be leading 1-1, but it’s still 1-1!

59 min Foden’s two near misses came before the introduction of Veerman, so maybe that injury to Depay was a blessing in disguise. Even so, Ronald Koeman deserves credit for having the courage to make a defensive change. At the moment the Netherlands look relatively comfortable, or at least less uncomfortable than they did when England were threateningt to run riot in the first half.

57 min No shots at either end since half-time. While England are still dominating – they’ve had 70 per cent possession – they aren’t playing with quite the same urgency. Don’t make them go behind again; I’m not sure the nation could take it.

56 min “Hi Rob,” says Dan Christmas. “At risk of sounding like the sheriff in a cowboy movie, I think Rusty Shaw could be a problem.”

Arf. He was great against Switzerland, although he’s probably glad the speedy Malen has gone off.

54 min The stiffening of the midfield has helped the Netherlands a little, though they are still being pinned back. Reijnders leads a promising break, walking away from Rice in the centre circle. Rice tries to pull him back and fails. The move eventually peters out and the referee gives Rice a warning rather than a yellow card. He’s lucky.

52 min “I remember you saying on previous Nessun Dorma podcasts you don’t follow England as much as you did in the 90s,” says Nick Parmenter. “Does this Southgate team change your feelings on it?”

They have a bit, particularly Southgate himself, but I’m essentially neutral. At least I think I am. It’s complicated, though, and this probably isn’t the time for my life story.

50 min Incidentally, that deadweight Harry Kane is now joint top-scorer, although he’s two assists behind Dani Olmo in the Golden Boot race.

In other news, how good is Dani Olmo? The brain is the biggest erogenous zone, especially when you’re in the opposition’s penalty area. His goal last night, understandably overshadowed by the kid, was a thing of quick-witted beauty.

49 min A fairly quiet start to the second half, though England are on the front foot once more. Saka gets to the byline and cuts the ball back into a good area; there’s nobody there in a white shirt.

47 min Thanks for all the emails, of which I’ve only had chance to read about half. It’s not you, it’s me.

47 min “Is it my imagination or are England playing total football with positions being largely notional?” wonders Zafar Sobhan. “Foden is everywhere and we just saw Walker in midfield dink it out to Kane on the right wing.”

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. On Sunday they’ll play tiki-taka, and you just wait till they come up against John Beck’s Cambridge.

46 min Weghorst leaves a bit on Stones, who looks at him quizically and asks, ‘What you doing?’

No idea what the response was, if there was one.

46 min The Netherlands begin the second half. These are the revised line-ups.

Netherlands (4-3-3) Verbruggen; Dumfries, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Ake; Schouten, Veerman, Reijnders; Simons, Weghorst, Gakpo.

England (3-4-2-1) Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guehi; Saka, Mainoo, Rice, Shaw; Foden, Bellingham; Kane.

Half-time substitutions

Arise Sir Kobbie

He’s barely 19 you know. Young enough to be Lamine Yamal’s bully.

Luke Shaw is warming up and could be coming on as early as half-time.

“I’m really hoping this game will help me recover after watching mighty Canada fall to underdogs Argentina last night, denied another Copa America final,” says Liz White. “C’mon England!”

I thought they had a chance last night as well.

The ITV verdict on the penalty

Gary Neville “An absolute disgrace”

Ian Wright “It’s reckless. It’s soft but penalties are given for that.”

Simons’ goal We’re watching replays. I didn’t realise at the time that Pickford got a slight touch on the shot. I guess it beat him for pace, because boy did it have pace.

Spot of the Day, by Andy Flintoff

“England’s tournament this time has been a bit like 1990 – top of the group with one win and two draws (scoring two goals, conceding one); scoring in the last minute in the second round and only squeezing through the quarter final via penalties (Lineker’s pair in 1990 and the shootout this year).

“England have even had the misfiring no. 11 (the current FWA Footballer of the Year – Barnes in 1990 and Foden this year), and a switch to three at the back. It’s not an exact parallel, but it only needs a good performance and a loss in a shootout for the similarities to continue.”

I love parallels like this. Pig in chardonnay stuff.

“In this tournament England have only really started playing once we’ve gone a goal down,” says Lenny in Valencia. “So let’s thank the Dutch for scoring so early!”

That’s a very good point, although it took them a while to realise they were a goal down to Slovakia.

Half time: Netherlands 1-1 England

45+3 min A bit of scare for England. Ake does very well to keep the ball in play on the byline, but then his header on from Veerman’s cross is too heavy.

45+1 min Three added minutes.

45 min Saka and Bellingham combine well to release Trippier, whose left-foot cross is too close to Verbruggen.

In that famous 4-1 at Wembley, when David Seaman made a brilliant save from Dennis Bergkamp in about the 44th minute, the great Barry Davies said: ‘England really need half-time here.’

Right now, the Netherlands really, really, really, really need half-time.

44 min The Netherlands have spent much of the last 30 minutes in their own half. Ronald Koeman might have to make another change at half-time, but there’s no point bringing big Wout on unless they are going to have more of the ball. Not sure what else he can do.

42 min “Re: Matt Dony’s increased sobriety compared to eight years ago,” says John Davis, “I was on a sabbatical teaching in Nepal back then and headed into Kathmandu on each Thursday to watch the Euros in Tom and Jerry’s for a long weekend. I’m definitely more sober this time round.

“The week after Wales beat Belgium, I was playing football at lunch with the sixth formers at Kathmandu University High School. The ball came to me, I somehow Cruyff-turned and rolled it in with my left foot to an instant shout from Nepali teenagers of ‘Robson-Kanu!’ The highlight of my sporting career.”

41 min Mainoo wins the ball in the final third – he’s done that a few times tonight – moves to the edge of the area and blasts a shot that is blocked by Ake.

Kobbie Mainoo makes the world a better place, pass it on.

39 min Mainoo, who is playing like a 32-year-old, threads a nice pass to Foden, who skids a low shot from 20 yards that is well held to his right by Verbruggen.

38 min “I don’t know how often Lee Dixon appears on UK TV but he’s a regular on the NBC Premier League broadcasts: far and away the best English-language co-commentator on TV,” says Joe Johnson. “There, I said it.”

Some people don’t like him, but I guess some people don’t like anyone. I think he’s very good, particularly on the nuts and bolts of defending. No surprise given that he and his mates at Arsenal basically perfected it.

37 min There’s a long way to go – hours, maybe days – but right now the Netherlands are struggling to live with England’s speed and penetration. This is probably the best they’ve played since the World Cup quarter-final against France.

35 min: Netherlands substitution This is really sad: Joey Veerman is coming on for the injured Memphis Depay. That means a switch to a tight 4-3-3, which the Netherlands need because they’re being overrun in midfield.

This is the revised line-up.

Netherlands (4-3-3) Verbruggen; Dumfries, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Ake; Schouten, Veerman, Reijnders; Simons, Malen, Gakpo.

And yes, I know I haven’t mentioned Gakpo at all. He’s been really quiet.

34 min Here’s Gary Naylor on the penalty. “If a goalkeeper does it, pundits say, ‘He goes for the ball and Kane just gets there first, so it’s a clear penalty.’ All. Day. Long.”

It doesn’t feel right to me, although I must confess I haven’t swotted up on the laws since about 1991.

33 min Depay is down and needs treatment. This is a worry for the Netherlands as I think it’s his hamstring.

32 min: Now Foden hits the post! It was a glorious effort, trademark Foden. He received a square ball 25 yards out on the half turn, moved infield and whipped a spectacular curler that beat Verbruggen and thumped off the outside of the post.

Foden is playing brilliantly in his new/old position as the right-sided No10. As Ally McCoist says on ITV, that was almost a replica of Lamine Yamal’s goal last night.

30 min: Dumfries hits the bar! What a night he’s had already. Walker makes a terrific block to divert Malen’s shot behind for a corner. It’s swung out towards Dumfries, 12 yards out, and he rams a header off the top of the crossbar.

This is fantastic.

29 min A terrific spot from Lee Dixon on ITV, who notices that Foden’s shot in the 23rd minute took a slight touch off the left leg off Verbruggen, without which Dumfries wouldn’t have been able to clear.

28 min England look full of energy, with Bellingham, Foden and Saka all playing as everyone hoped they would.

27 min Foden appealed for a foul a moment ago, and he would have been clear of the defence – albeit going away from goal. There’s so much happening that I missed the replays. We’re not talking Platt and Koeman though.

26 min “That deserved to be a penalty as much as Ronald Koeman deserved to stay on the pitch in 1993,” says Tom Atkins. “Karma sometimes takes a while.”

Somewhere in heaven, Ray Wilkins and is smiling. (NB: clip contains the liveliest possible language.)

25 min England have been really good since going behind, and probably even better since the equaliser. The Netherlands can’t get out at the moment.

23 min: What a clearance from Dumfries! Oh my scenes! Mainoo strolls forward beautifully from midfield and slips a through pass to Foden in the area. He shows remarkable speed of thought and feet to take the ball away from a defender and Verbruggen in a phone box before sliding an early right-foot shot that is cleared off the line by Dumfries. That was so close – Dumfries was behind the line, the ball wasn’t.

21 min England are passing with a pace and purpose that they haven’t shown since the first 20 minutes against Serbia. The atmosphere, which is just wonderful, is really helping the intensity of the game.

20 min “No one seems to agree with me, but I think that is a penalty,” says Dan Christmas. “It’s definitely given anywhere else on the pitch – don’t try and win the ball with your studs.”

I certainly appreciate that argument. I guess there are two questions:

1. Is it a penalty?

2. What did Bill Murray say to her at the end? Is it a clear and obvious error?

19 min Penalties like that are often given in the Premier League. I don’t know: I thought Kane’s kicking motion was as much a reason for the contact as Dumfries’s attempt to block the shot.

It is what it is, and it is 1-1.

That took courage, especially after the World Cup quarter-final miss. Kane stepped up and swept a fine penalty into the bottom-left corner. Verbruggen went the right way but the pace was good and the placement immaculate.

GOAL! Netherlands 1-1 England (Kane 18 pen)