On July 11th, the Netherlands lost 1-2 to England in the semi-finals of the European Championship held in Germany, sadly ending their run at the quarterfinal stage. This is the fifth time in six appearances in the European Championship semi-finals that the Orange Army has failed to advance.
This match marked the first time in 20 years that the Dutch team reached the semi-finals of the European Championship. In the history of the tournament, only Germany (nine times) has made it to the semi-finals more often than the Netherlands (six times), but with vastly different outcomes. Germany lifted the trophy three times in 1972, 1980, and 1996, while the Netherlands managed to navigate through the semi-finals and ultimately win the title just once, in 1988, thanks to the performance of the “Three Musketeers.” Interestingly, during the Netherlands’ victorious campaign, they faced the host nation, West Germany, in the semi-finals.
The Netherlands’ historical record in European Championship semi-finals: 1976 – Netherlands 1-3 Czechoslovakia 1988 – Netherlands 2-1 West Germany 1992 – Netherlands 2-2 Denmark (lost on penalties 6-7) 2000 – Netherlands 0-0 Italy (lost on penalties 1-3) 2004 – Netherlands 1-2 Portugal 2024 – Netherlands 1-2 England
