Euro 2024: Netherlands Vs England, Prosperous Hunter Duel

JAKARTA - The semifinals of Euro 2024 will present a hot match full of prestige between the Netherlands and England at Signal Iduna Park Stadium on Thursday, July 11, 2024, at 02.00 WIB.

For the Netherlands, their journey to the semifinals was not smooth. The reason is, in the group phase, De Oranje appeared inconsistent.

They had won over Poland (2-1) in a match, but then drew goalless against France and lost to Australia (2-3).

Even so, the Dutch were lucky to qualify for the round of 16 by occupying the top stairs in the best third-placed route.

In the round of 16, the Dutch appearance began to increase. They beat Romania 3-0 to advance to the quarter-finals.

Most recently, De Oranje made a comeback in the quarter-finals against Turkey. Left behind in the 35th minute, the Netherlands scored two goals in the second half in six minutes to confirm a semi-final ticket.

Successfully stepping into the semifinals of the Euros is De Oranje's first achievement since he was last able to achieve it in the 2004 edition.

Facing England in the semifinals is not an easy matter. The Netherlands must make a lot of improvements, especially regarding inconsistencies in the final settlement sector.

In fact, Ronald Koeman's troops have many weapons to trouble the opponent's defense, including the quality of the cross, the exchange of fast positions, and shots remotely.

Moreover, Koeman often mentions that one-of-one starter. This means that the solidarity of the squad is unquestionable.

Not surprisingly, the coach most likely defended the same line-up during the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.

Koeman can include Steven Bergwijn or Jeremie Frimpong who usually plays as a right-wing defender. Donyell Malen, who has scored two goals, could be an option when he implements a flexible 4-2-3-1 scheme supported by the presence of Xavi Simons, Memphis Depay, and Cody Gakpo.

The line-up will set off a British alarm. With three money, inconsistency is also the main issue of the Three Lions.

Gareth Southgate's troops are indeed leaders of Group C. However, they are very minimal in converting opportunities into goals.

They only scored two goals throughout the group stage with one win and two draws.

In the round of 16, England almost lost to Slovakia. Jude Bellingham's goal in second-half injury time saved the face of the Three Lions.

They finally secured a ticket to the quarter-finals after Harry Kane scored a winning goal in the first extra half.

The presence of players who made the value of the England squad the most expensive at Euro 2024 did not guarantee that they would appear convincing.

They were again almost eliminated in the quarter-finals against Switzerland. Left behind, the Three Lions scored the equalizer goal through Bukayo Saka.

The goal brought England an argument for their luck in the penalty shootout round. Dewi Fortuna still enveloped Southgate's troops thanks to a 5-3 victory on penalties.

England's unconvincing appearance could be influenced by Southgate's stubborn factors. The manager had minimal variations in tactics and lowered the composition of players who were his favorites from the start.

He rejected the input from Jurgen Klinsmann to try to play two direct strikers to increase the number of goalscoring options.

Therefore, there is a big chance for Southgate to return to using tactics like the previous matches. At best, he only rotates players who are affected by accumulation or fitness problems.

Three Lions have had the opportunity to enter their second final at the Euros since the 2020 edition.

The problem is, the Netherlands is not a friendly team for England. They have already tasted seven defeats, nine draws, and only won against De Oranje six times.

England's last win in a major tournament officially took place at Euro 1996. At that time the Three Lions won 4-1.

The Netherlands is the same. The last time they beat England in an official big tournament was at Euro 1988 with a score of 2-0.

In fact, the two teams often meet, but only the World Cup Qualification class matches and Friendship. The latest meeting took place in the UEFA Nations League in 2019 when the Netherlands won 3-1.

Interestingly, this duel is a battle for the glory hunter team. England and the Netherlands are indeed teams that like to participate in major tournaments, but often run aground before they reach the top.

Judging by the two major tournaments (World Cup and Euro), the two of them are arguably a team of prisoners.

The Netherlands never won the World Cup and only won the Euro once in 1988. In fact, De Oranje has only won once until the final at Euro since participating in 1976.

Meanwhile, stepping into the semifinals of Euro 2024 is the fourth achievement of the Netherlands in this tournament after 1992, 2000, and 2004.

England's fate is the same. In contrast, the Three Lions have never won the Euros and have only stepped in the final once since their participation in 1968.

The only final match that England managed to step on was in the 2020 edition. At that time, they had to settle for being runners-up after losing against Italy.

However, England once won the 1966 World Cup. It was the only major trophy for the Three Lions.

It has been a long time since the two teams have hunted for major tournament titles, but it has never been delivered. Therefore, this duel is interesting to look for the best of the two heroes.

Similar homework, namely the matter of finishing the end, makes the match predicted to end in a draw until normal time. Kans until the penalty shootout was big.