Gareth Southgate has hailed England’s victory over Netherlands to reach the Euro 2024 final as his “best achievement” but Roy Keane wants to see him “finish the job”.
Ollie Watkins’ late stunner fired England to a 2-1 win over the Dutch, sending the Three Lions into the final against Spain in Berlin.
England have now reached the final of back-to-back European Championships, with Sunday’s showpiece the first time the men’s team have progressed to a major tournament final on foreign soil.
Southgate, speaking to ITV Sport, said: “This has to be the best [achievement]. It’s another landmark, but the way we played, we played so well throughout the game. It was a complicated game, they kept changing, we had to respond. We caused them problems all night and the end is so special for the squad.
Euro 2024 final – Spain vs England
“The most important thing is that the whole squad are ready to come into the game. We spend a lot of time with those guys [the substitutes], and I’m so chuffed for Ollie.
“We felt, energy wise, we were starting to lose some pressure [in the second half]. Ollie can press well and make those runs in behind. We thought it was a good moment to try him.
“We deserved to win. We were very fluid in our formation, it wasn’t just a back three, we had to adapt all the time and the players made so many good decisions.”
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England fans across the country went wild as Gareth Southgate’s men booked their place in the European Championship final
Keane: Southgate has to go and finish it now
England now have the chance to end 58 years without a major trophy on Sunday.
Sky Sports’ Roy Keane, speaking about Southgate on ITV Sport, said: “He’s done a brilliant job since day one. He’s created an environment for players to go out and express themselves, there’s been a bit of luck but we all need that.
“He’s made some big decisions before this tournament, with Grealish and Rashford [being left out]… but he’s got to go and finish it now.
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Ollie Watkins insisted his friends and family told him beforehand he was going to score and make a difference for England against Netherlands
“His stats are fantastic and if he can get the trophy at the end, it’ll be amazing for him.
“I’d have Spain as favourites, but sometimes, things are written in the stars for this England team.
“They should have been out of it a week or so ago, they’ve now got momentum.
“It’s good to see players coming off the bench with a proper mindset. They want to come into the game and have an impact.
“They’re coming on and getting late goals, it’ll be a brilliant game against Spain.
“The impact of players off the bench has been huge for a lot of teams in this tournament.”