On July 11, England eliminated the Netherlands to advance to the European Cup final. After the game, Indonesian football blogger Savage Football provided a frame-by-frame breakdown of the details during England’s comeback.
Firstly, the blogger analyzed that when trailing by one goal, England restricted the Netherlands through pressing. As such, the Dutch found it difficult to play out from the back calmly.
Moreover, when England’s forward players had opportunities to receive the ball, they could utilize the space created by their runs to form a passing network among themselves, allowing for a smoother flow of the game.
Additionally, the blogger analyzed that the Netherlands’ defensive 4-1-4-1 formation had significant loopholes. The images show that England’s build-up play was not under much pressure, allowing them to comfortably possess the ball and equalize the score. Moreover, the Netherlands left relatively large spaces on the flanks for England.
After both teams were level, the Netherlands’ passing in the attacking phase was easily anticipated by England’s players. By pushing the defensive line up, the Three Lions imposed significant constraints and pressure on the Dutch. This forced the Netherlands into a state of confusion, as the blogger put it, “The Netherlands entered a situation with no way out.”
Reflecting on Watkins’ match-winning goal, the blogger analyzed, “First, Rice received the ball in midfield and played a direct pass to Maitland-Niles, who successfully broke through, creating a 3v2 situation. Palmer then delivered a precise pass to Watkins, who took control inside the box and completed the finish.”