Gareth Southgate guides England to Euro 2024 final
- The goal is to win our first European Championship.
- They suffered heartbreak at Euro 2020, losing on penalties to Italy.
England manager Gareth Southgate said he and his Three Lions had given the best night in 50 years to all English football fans after beating the Netherlands 2-1 in their Euro 2024 semi-final on Wednesday.
The victory also means England are through to their second successive final,
with Southgate ‘s side set to make history by winning their first European Championship title if they beat Spain on July 14.
Southgate said after the game: “I took the job to try and develop English football and now we are in the final for the second time and I believe we have given the fans the exciting night they were expecting.”
“We gave them the best night in the last 50 years. I am very proud of that. I would be happy if everyone at home felt the way we did today. But the job is not done. We have the biggest test ever. Have to ready. We came here to win and that is still our goal.”
England’s road to the final has not smooth.
Winning one game and drawing two in the group stage, and beating Slovakia in the last 16 after extra time, before beating Switzerland on penalties in the quarter-finals and beating the Netherlands in second-half stoppage time.
Southgate continued: “We all want to be ufabet https://ufabet999.app recognised, don’t we? When you’re doing something for your country, you’re British and you’re proud of it, you don’t always want to look back because before all you’ve been through is negative feedback and it’s hard to ignore it.”
“To celebrate reaching the second final is very special. If I wasn’t on the pitch, I would be celebrating like any other fan. But I am responsible for the team, so to give a great night to the fans is very special. We are here to win and of course we want to play against the best team in the tournament (final) because we are still here and ready for the final mission that awaits us.”
As Real Madrid captain Jude Bellingham aims to become the first England team
to win a major trophy since 1966 and will fight hard in the final against Spain.
“I’m proud of all my team-mates for their reactions, their attitude and their mentality,” the 21-year-old said. “Quality is one thing, but those qualities you don’t learn in training, you get them through experience.”
“Now it’s another game gone. We’ve been tired all along. It’s been a long season, but this is the final push for our country and our national history.”