CNN Central News & Network–ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: 89:57. That’s the time on the clock when Ollie Watkins takes his first touch inside the Dutch penalty box in this tense Euro 2024 semifinal between England and the Netherlands. A few seconds earlier, Declan Rice had pinged it forward, too hard for Kobbie Mainoo to trap comfortably, but the ball had bounced out to Cole Palmer. The moment the Chelsea man got the ball, Watkins had set off, dragging Stefan de Vrij with him. And Palmer had played a neat, simple ball to him. With the ball at his feet, he is now squaring the centre-back up, but de Vrij’s experience is coming to the fore here. Holding his ground, he marshals Watkins to a much tighter angle than the England striker would have liked.
Watkins had been cooling his heels on the bench until eight minutes before this moment. Decidedly second choice at the start of the tournament, behind captain and talisman Harry Kane, he’d dropped to third choice after Ivan Toney’s heroics in England’s first knockout game against Slovakia.
