England’s Jude Bellingham, right, and England’s Trent Alexander-Arnold
England can reach back-to-back European Championship finals when it meets the Netherlands in Dortmund in the second semifinal. The winner plays Spain or France in the upcoming final. Kickoff is at 3 a.m. (Macau time).
Here’s what to know about the match.
MATCH FACTS
— Both teams conceded the opening goal in their quarterfinals before coming back to win, with England beating Switzerland in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw and the Netherlands winning 2-1 against Turkey.
— After a win on penalties in his 100th game in charge of England, manager Gareth Southgate defending his often-cautious tactics as the kind of “streetwise” style successful teams use. The backlash from England fans, including some who threw plastic cups at him after a group-stage game, is “quite difficult” to deal with, he added.
— The Netherlands will be by far the highest-ranked team England has faced after group games with Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia, followed by knockout games with Slovakia and Switzerland.
TEAM NEWS
— England has relied on the right-footed Kieran Trippier at left wing back, but his tendency to cut inside has meant England has made little use of the left wing all tournament. Left-footed Luke Shaw came off the bench against Switzerland for his first minutes since February after injury. Shaw says he’s fit to start against the Netherlands if Southgate picks him.
— Southgate has to choose whether to stick with Ezri Konsa in the center of defense after he replaced the then-suspended Marc Guéhi against Switzerland. Guéhi is eligible again.
— There’s scrutiny of Harry Kane’s fitness after the England captain went off with cramp in extra time against Switzerland. Ivan Toney came off the bench and scored one of England’s five successful penalties in the shootout.
BY THE NUMBERS
— England has played a full hour more than the Netherlands in the last 10 days, after beating Slovakia in extra time and then Switzerland on penalties. The Dutch wrapped up their wins over Romania and Turkey without needing extra time.
— The Netherlands hasn’t reached a European Championship final since it won the tournament in 1988 and was last a semifinalist in 2004.
— England’s first shot on target against Switzerland was Bukayo Saka’s goal to level the score in the 80th minute. One round earlier, Bellingham’s spectacular overhead kick was England’s first shot on target. That came in the fifth minute of second-half added time.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“I don’t really understand the criticism. What he’s done for the country, for us as players as well, he really took us to the next level … I’ve got a lot to thank him for because he showed a lot of faith and trust in picking me when he didn’t have to.” — England defender Luke Shaw on manager Gareth Southgate.
“Hopefully it’s us that will have the ball more than England. So it’s more England that’s running. I expect a high intensity game.” — Netherlands defender Micky van de Ven. STEVE DOUGLAS & JAMES ELLINGWORTH, DORTMUND, MDT/AP
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