Semi-final Review
Spain emphasises their favourites tag, but England have the individual quality to cause them problems.
Spain 2-1 France
If the performance against Germany underlined this Spain team’s ability to go toe-to-toe with any team in this tournament, and still come out the other side leaving their opponents feeling deflated, this performance required something else entirely. There are any number of superlatives you could use to describe this Spain team, but here they showed quality, flair, and resilience combined with impressive levels of game management to navigate their way through this tie. France scoring early through Randal Kolo Muani, from a delightful cross from Kylian Mbappe, left me thinking that France had now clicked into gear at just the right time. I was already braced for an Mbappe-inspired France victory, most likely capped off with a clinical, crisp Mbappe finish following a flowing counter-attack. I shouldn’t have doubted Spain. Their response to going a goal down was phenomenal. No panic, no drama, no real time for any sense of dread to set in. Okay, most teams don’t have the luxury of a prodigious 16-year-old who can score a goal quite like Yamine Lamal did, but Spain were never going to panic.
After 20 minutes, there was no respite in this match. It was clear that France were not going to be able to implement their usual game plan, as Spain attack with such gusto, and with so many numbers, they force opposition teams to come out punching. Trying to sit in and contain Spain won’t work; they’ll grind you down eventually. This team is inevitable. The first 10 minutes were a tale of two almost identical crosses. The aforementioned goal from Kolo Muani coming only a few minutes after Yamal had teed up Fabian Ruiz in similar fashion, who really ought to have scored, and I really thought this might just be one of those matches where the dominant team end up regretting the chances spurned. Then, shortly after, Jesus Navas was booked for scything down Mbappe when France looked threatening again.
At this point, the narrative I already mentioned seemed inevitable. Nice try, Spain. All these patterns and intricate passing moves are great, but you won’t be able to do this against this French team. France were deliberate in their attempts to bypass the Spanish press, and it looked to be working. Mbappe had removed the mask, both literally and metaphorically, and he looked in the mood, and things looked ominous for Spain. In my head, I was imagining Spain might unravel in a manner similar to some of Pep Guardiola’s teams. Play nice football, create some promising openings, but get caught out on the counter-attack, and we’re all left blaming their profligacy on their naivety. That goal from Yamal was more than just a breakout moment, flashing in a shot that will forever be remembered. It was more than that. This was the goal of a player who had already made it on the world stage, such was the beauty of it. Yamal’s assuredness and composure are genuinely outstanding, given his tender age. He’s not really the street footballer you might expect him to be given his age. Every decision he takes on the pitch looks well thought out, and it may be a cliché, but his understanding of the game is that of a veteran. He just has the speed of thought to execute it as well.
Spain were truly excellent in the first half, and, as I suspected, Olmo was key in this match. While Yamal’s goal was amazing and probably carried greater aesthetic appeal to people, I actually preferred Olmo’s finish. I do think it required a higher technical execution than Yamal’s. The touch to shift the ball on his right foot is perfect. He takes the touch earlier than you might expect, and that’s what gives him that little bit of extra space in order to strike at goal. It’s a shame the strike was deflected into the net by Joules Kounde, as this took some of the gloss from the goal, aesthetically speaking. Rodri, as is the case in most matches, dominated the midfield in the first half, allowing the more creative players in the team to flourish. Not to diminish the impact of Fabian Ruiz in this tournament, but Rodri essentially allows him to thrive, as he is more than capable of holding his own in the middle of the pitch.
I was happy to see Didier Deschamps act decisively with his substitutions in the second half, bringing on Antoine Griezmann, Bradley Barcola, and Eduardo Camavinga in place of Adrien Rabiot, Ngolo Kante, and Kolo Muani. Deschamps knew he needed to act quickly or the match could have gotten away from France. Although France improved in the second half, and it wouldn’t have been a surprise had they equalized, Spain always seemed to be in control. Mbappe did have one moment where he looked certain to score, but he couldn’t find the target. On Mbappe, I’m often left a little bit underwhelmed when I watch him play. He’s clearly a fantastic player, and maybe it’s just the lofty expectations I have, but he tends to drift in and out of games. He plays on the periphery, and when he has space there’s nobody better at exploiting that space, but this is a problem he’s almost always going to have to deal with, whereby the expectation will be on him to make something happen.
Finally, I have to finish with Spain. The job Luis De la Fuentes has done has been excellent. It’s a similar path taken to that of Gareth Southgate. He knows and trusts his players, and they have repaid the faith. Spain have had to deal with numerous setbacks in this tournament. Every knockout match has had the potential to carry that fatal blow. They fell behind early on against Georgia, but never panicked. They conceded an 89th-minute goal against hosts Germany, a situation where many teams would have crumbled in and amongst that febrile home support, but they regained their composure. They conceded early on against a team you would really want to avoid falling behind against in France, but still came roaring back. Now, they’re on the cusp of glory, with only Harry Kane and co. standing in their way.
Netherlands 1-2 England
Well, that was pure joy. England scoring a winning goal in the 90th minute in the semi-finals of a major tournament is about as joyous as it can get. Phil Foden and Kobbie Mainoo linking up and pulling the strings in midfield, Saka running at whoever dares to face up to him, Kane slotting home a penalty in a high-pressure situation? Yeah, I could get used to this. Let’s ignore the second half for a moment and focus on the first-half display. Considering the circumstances of it being a semi-final, and considering the expectations, this was probably the best I have ever seen England play. There’s not a huge catalogue of matches to choose from in years gone by, but this was excellent.
Foden and Mainoo are the archetypal Spanish footballers. Comfortable in possession, decisive with passes, and their importance to Southgate’s approach against Spain cannot be underestimated. Considering Spain are likely to have 60% of the ball in the final, Foden and Mainoo will be so important in ensuring England use the ball effectively against Spain. Foden looked much more like the Man City Foden we’re used to seeing, collecting passes from midfield in that space behind Tijjani Reijnders and in between Nathan Ake and Virgil van Dijk, and driving towards goal. Mainoo is happy to collect the ball from the centre backs, progress forward, and punch the ball through to Foden, and England looked so fluent because of this. The second half was an issue, as Depay’s enforced withdrawal meant Joey Veerman came on and provided more stability to the Dutch midfield.
A quick note on the penalty award in the first half. My initial instinct was that it looked a foul, but after seeing the replay I thought a penalty would be harsh. I understand the argument in saying that would regularly be given as a foul anywhere else on the pitch. The problem is this took place in the box, thus if it’s a foul it must be a penalty (obviously), but a penalty is a punishment that doesn’t quite fit the crime. However, what’s the alternative? Indirect free kicks could be one way of curbing this, but ultimately, we’re still going to have the same tedious debate surrounding refereeing decisions. It will always be subjective, and fans just need to accept they’ll disagree on different decisions.
In the second half, I wanted to see changes sooner from Southgate. As had been discussed on numerous occasions, Southgate’s reluctance to switch tactics sooner often prolongs the difficult periods England encounter during matches. Although we should note Southgate has made some big decisions for this Euros campaign, with the omissions of Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson two of the most high-profile changes. When I saw both Cole Palmer and Ollie Watkins ready to come on, I was hoping it would be Kane and Jude Bellingham who would make way, and when I saw Foden’s number flash up, I was equally dismayed and completely unsurprised. However, when the two subs you make combine for the winning goal in the 90th minute, there’s no way I can make that argument this time. I think the changes need to be sooner. You could see how Ronaldo Koeman elected to man-mark Mainoo out of the game, and he was happy to allow Declan Rice to have the ball.
It wouldn’t be fair for me to discuss this match without mentioning both Watkins and Palmer, who made a decisive impact. It looked like a match more suited to Ivan Toney, so Southgate deserves credit for introducing Watkins. The goal from Watkins was textbook centre-forward play, and a goal he has scored on a few occasions for Aston Villa last season. Some credit must go to Unai Emery, as he has done a lot of work this season with Watkins on his forward play, mainly telling him to avoid drifting out to the wing and remaining as central as he possibly can to get in goalscoring positions. It paid off dividends. I can’t really find the words to describe the joy when the ball hit the net. I know it may be easy with hindsight, but in that brief moment between Watkins collecting the pass from Palmer, and him slotting the ball past Bart Verbruggen, I felt like I knew what was coming. I’m aware that sounds ridiculous, and maybe I’m misremembering events, but there was an inevitable feel about it.
For the final against Spain, I think the substitutions could again be crucial for England. Palmer seems like an ideal player to bring off the bench in these high-pressure situations. He plays with a certain amount of freedom that seems to benefit the team, and he’s unfazed if he misplaces a pass or concedes possession. He’s happy to keep trying it, which is an underrated quality. If Spain play at their absolute maximum, I don’t think England can live with them. My hope is that we go into the last 20 minutes with England still in with a chance, as we know they have the individual quality to turn a game at any moment. England don’t need to be perfect for 90 minutes, but they will need to take their chances when they come. As ludicrous as this statement is, England qualifying for semi-finals and finals of major tournaments is starting to become a regular occurrence. However, things can change quickly, so enjoy the match as much as you can. Come on, England!