(sabasports report)Gareth Southgate, the Three Lions manager, made a crucial change in the 81th-minute of England’s European Championship semi-final against the Netherlands when Phil Foden and Harry Kane were substituted, He was replaced by Cole Palmer, a regular reserve, and Ollie Watkins, a reserve forward. Before his second appearance as Aston Villa’s centre forward, Watkins had only played in the second round of the European Championship when he replaced Kane in the 70th minute against Denmark, but in more than 20 minutes of that match, Apart from a forward shot that was saved by Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, there was little left to impress.
Since reaching the knockout stages, Southgate has preferred Ivan Toney as a back-up centre, but in this important semi-final, Southgate has given a vote of confidence to Watkins. The final result proved his choice right. In stoppage time, Watkins picked up the ball on the right side of the box, beat Dutch defender Stefan de Vrij, and then fired a brilliant low shot into the bottom corner to complete a 2-1 comeback for England. It is worth mentioning that it was Palmer who assisted the goal at the same time as Watkins, and the tacit cooperation between the two substitutes helped the Three Lions advance to the final, which will be contested by Spain.
Watkins, who played only ten minutes, finally took home the MVP trophy. His goal made the difference,” UEFA’s technical observation group said.