VAR Breaks Football as Uruguay Breaks Skulls
England lay to rest a 30-year grudge to set up an appointment with Spain in the Euro 2024 final and it all got a bit ugly in the Copa America semi-final. Oh, and Berhalter is out!
And so it goes….
Contact has apparently been made with Jurgen - Klopp, that is (Independent)
And the answer is nein
EURO 2024 Round-up
Where to watch: all TV broadcasters around the globe from UEFA
NETHERLANDS 1-2 ENGLAND
“VAR breaks football” - Netherlands manager, Ronald Koeman.
For England fans of a certain vintage, and Graham Taylor RIP, last night’s controversial penalty was merely payback for Koeman’s shenanigans in a 1993 World Cup Qualifier.
Maybe Gareth Southgate does know what he’s doing, or is cashing his lucky chips early - either way England are through to their first major final on foreign soil and their second Euros final in two after Ollie Watkins' dramatic last-minute goal propelled England to a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands, securing a spot in the Euro 2024 final against Spain.
England, after a slow start to the tournament, finally found some form in the first half, overcoming an early strike from Xavi Simons with a controversial Harry Kane penalty. But resorted to type in the second half as the Dutch shored up a midfield that had given up acres of space in the first half.
Phil Foden was outstanding for England, nearly scoring twice with a shot cleared off the line and another hitting the post. However, the Netherlands, who also hit the woodwork through a Denzel Dumfries header, fought back strongly in the second half, forcing England keeper Jordan Pickford into a couple of crucial saves.
The game seemed destined for extra time until Watkins, a substitute for Kane, turned his defender inside the box and fired a superb shot past Dutch keeper Bart Verbruggen in the 91st minute.
England's victory sets up a historic final against Spain in Berlin on Sunday, where they will aim to secure their first major international trophy since the 1966 World Cup. The win is also vindication for coach Gareth Southgate, whose tactics had come under scrutiny following earlier underwhelming performances.
Despite a few nervy moments, England's resilience and late-game heroics, which have become their trademark in this tournament, saw them through to the final. Their first-half display was arguably their best of the tournament, showcasing a newfound confidence and creativity, particularly through the impressive young midfielder Kobbie Mainoo.
While Kane and Jude Bellingham were less influential than usual, England's overall performance was encouraging, giving them reason for optimism heading into the final. The victory also offers them a chance to avenge their penalty shootout defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 final. [Highlights]
COPA America Round-up
URUGUAY 0-1 COLOMBIA
Is Bielsa-ball all it’s cracked up to be? If their quarter final against Brazil was physical the ‘Battle of Bank of America’ was brutal. Uruguay could be forgiven for forsaking the beautiful game going down to ten-men against the Brazilians, but taking it up a notch while playing against 10-man Colombia for the entirety of the second half?
James Rodríguez recorded his sixth assist of the Copa América on a 39th-minute goal by Jefferson Lerma to lead 10-man Colombia over Uruguay 1-0 Wednesday night and set up a final against Argentina.
Colombia will play Argentina in the Copa América final Sunday in Miami Gardens, Florida. Argentina defeated Canada 2-0 in the other semifinal on Tuesday.
The win extended Colombia's unbeaten streak to a team-record 28 games - their last loss coming against Argentina in February 2022.
Colombia defender Daniel Muñoz was sent off in first-half stoppage time after receiving a second yellow card, but Uruguay was unable to capitalize on the man advantage with substitute, Luis Suárez, hitting the post in the 71st minute.
The match was contentious with seven yellow cards and one red card. After the game, multiple videos showed Uruguay players going into the stands to confront Colombia fans as police tried to separate them.
Darwin Nunez was throwing chairs (badly) before going full Tekken, while Rodrigo Bentancur’s aim also seemed slightly off, carrying on their form in front of goal in the second half.
Uruguay captain Jose Maria Gimenez said the players were trying to protect their families.
"This is a disaster," Gimenez said on the official broadcast. "Please be careful, our families are in the stands, there are little newborn babies. It was a disaster; there was no police and we had to defend our families." [video]
Argentina is seeking a record 16th Copa América title and looking to join Spain as the only countries to win three straight major titles.
Uruguay will face Canada in the third-place playoff on Saturday.
In Other Soccer News
Transfers:
The Guardian’s interactive transfer thing.
Stat(s) of the Day
James Rodríguez has the all-time highest number of assists in a single Copa America - six.
Gareth Southgate has won as many knockout matches in major tournaments as every manager before him - nine.
England before Southgate:
1966 World Cup: 1-0 vs Argentina, 2-1 vs Portugal, 4-2 vs Germany.
1986 World Cup: 3-0 vs Paraguay
1990 World Cup: 1-0 vs Belgium, 3-2 vs Cameroon
1996 Euros: 0-0 (6-5 pens) vs Spain
2002 World Cup: 3-0 vs Denmark
2006 World Cup: 1-0 vs Ecuador.
England with Southgate
2018 World Cup: 1-1 (4-3 pens) vs Colombia, 2-0 vs Sweden.
2021 Euros: 2-0 vs Germany, 4-0 vs Ukraine, 2-1 vs Denmark
2022 World Cup: 3-0 vs Senegal
2024 Euros: 2-1 vs Slovakia, 1-1 (5-3 pens) vs Switzerland, 2-1 vs NetherlandsThe Daily Soccer Quote of the Day
“If I may encourage you to secure victory before the need for any last minute wonder-goals or another penalties drama, I am sure the stresses on the nation’s collective heart rate and blood pressure would be greatly alleviated! ” - King Charles III
Thanks for reading The Daily Soccer! Subscribe for free to receive new posts…