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ENGLAND’S Euro 2024 semi-final victory over the Netherlands was watched by a peak audience of 21.6 million on ITV.Their 2-1 win, which will see them head to Sunday’s final against Spain, was the most-watched television programme in 19 months.England’s Euro 2024 semi-final victory was watched by a peak audience of 21.6 million on ITVCredit: GettyThe Three Lions beat the Netherlands 2-1Credit: GettyThe Three Lions will now face Spain in the final on SundayCredit: GettyThis is the highest peak audience on a single channel since December 2022, when the nation watched England’s quarter-final exit on ITV in the FIFA World Cup.Broadcasters are hoping more than 30million viewers will tune into Sunday night’s final against Spain, based on the numbers that tuned in for England’s defeat in the Euro 2020 final. Across TV and streaming an average audience of 19.6million viewers watched the match between 8pm and 9.55pm.This also marked ITVX’s largest livestream audience with 16.8million streams of the semi-final.READ MORE ON EURO 2024Coverage of Euro 2024 in the UK has been split between ITV and the BBC, with the two channels swapping first choices for matches in each round. The Euros is regarded as one of the UK’s “crown jewel” sporting events – alongside the World Cup, Wimbledon and the Olympics – which is required by law to be shown on free-to-air channels.It had all started poorly for the Three Lions, though, as they fell behind when Xavi Simons sent a rasping strike into the top corner in the opening minutes.But a much-improved England deservedly hit back soon after as Harry Kane dispatched a controversial penalty.Most read in Euro 2024BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSBut Neville slammed the referee over his controversial decision to award England a penalty and said his initial decision was the correct one.It was then super-sub Watkins who fired home in the 90th minute with a brilliant finish past Bart Verbruggen.Ian Wright and Gary Neville go wild after Watkins’ England winner… but eagle-eyed fans spot Roy Keane’s reaction to goalWatkins’ well-taken winner was animatedly celebrated by ITV pundits Ian Wright and Gary Neville, who jumped for joy at the goal.However, Irishman Roy Keane kept his arms crossed and casually walked away from the celebrations, with some fans joking that he had reacted in the same way Irish fans across the world had done.England will now take on Spain on Sunday, and fans will need to decide who to watch the game with as there will be live coverage from both ITV and the BBC.ITV pundits were celebrating back in the studio except for Irishman Roy KeaneGary Neville fumed over the penalty decisionEngland ratings vs HollandENGLAND stormed into the final against Spain thanks to Ollie Watkins’ last-minute strike in the 2-1 win over Holland.It was a brilliant team performance, but how did each player rate?SunSport’s Tom Barclay ran the rule over Southgate’s boys, and here’s how he rated them.Jordan Pickford: 7Bigger goalkeepers may have got a stronger hand to Xavi Simons’ early stunner – though that was being hypercritical. Solid stop to deny Virgil van Dijk after the hour.Kyle Walker: 7Looked re-energised after some lumbering displays and bombed on at times in the first half, despite his role on the right of a back three. Last-ditch tackle on Cody Gakpo was spot on.John Stones: 7Strong in possession. He looks to have benefited from regular game-time after rarely featuring for Manchester City in the last few months.Marc Guehi: 6Came back into the side after suspension ruled him out of the Switzerland game. Had an unenviable task of making the big man Wout Weghorst after the break.Bukayo Saka: 7Razor-sharp in the first half, winning tackles, making runs and dribbling the ball proficiently. Less of an impact after the break, had a goal ruled out for offside and was booked.Declan Rice: 6Lost possession for Simons’ thunderous opener but grew into the game, mopping up where necessary. Poor pass when Kane was open midway through the second half.Kobbie Mainoo: 8Was England’s youngest-ever player to play in a major-tournament semi-final, aged 19years 82 days, and had a stormer in the first half. Great bursts forward, vital tackles, and his interplay with Foden was a joy.Kieran Trippier: 6We all know by now that he is playing out of position, so again he was limited going forward and reliable defensively. Subbed at half-time for the more natural Shaw.Phil Foden: 7The first 45 minutes was by far and away his best half of the tournament. Thought he’d scored when his shot was cleared off the line by Denzel Dumfries, and cracked the post with a cracker. But was then surprisingly subbed.Jude Bellingham: 5Back at the ground where he made his name but struggled to make much of an impact on his old stomping ground. Fortunate it was not he that was subbed.Harry Kane: 6Won and dispatched the penalty to go joint top-scorer in the tournament with three goals. Had looked more mobile initially but still tired badly after the break and was taken off.SUBSLuke Shaw (for Kieran Trippier, half-time): 6Looked assured for a man who has been out for so long.Ollie Watkins (for Harry Kane, 81): 9 and STAR MAN Surprisingly given the nod over Ivan Toney as striker sub as Southgate looked for more pace in behind. Brilliant finish into the corner to win the game – you could not ask more from him.Cole Palmer (for Phil Foden, 81): 7Had his big chance in the final minutes but shanked it horribly wide – but then fed Watkins for his wonderful winner.Gareth Southgate: 8His switch to a back three against Switzerland helped dig out the win there, and here it had his team finally playing some great football in the first half. The team went into their shells again as the game wore on and you feared the worst – but you have to say his decision to bring on Ollie Watkins was a masterstroke. England vs Spain recordEngland have played Spain 27 times in total – here is a look at every result…May 1929, Spain 4-3 England – International Friendly (L)December 1931, England 7-1 Spain – International Friendly (W)July 1950, Spain 1-0 England – World Cup (L)May 1955, Spain 1-1 England – International Friendly (D)November 1955, England 4-1 Spain – International Friendly (W)May 1960, Spain 3-0 England – International Friendly (L)October 1960, England 4-2 Spain – International Friendly (W)December 1965, Spain 0-2 England – International Friendly (W)May 1967, England 2-0 Spain – International Friendly (W)April 1968, England 1-0 Spain – European Championship (W)May 1968, Spain 1-2 England – European Championship (W)March 1980, Spain 0-2 England – International Friendly (W)June 1980, England 2-1 Spain – European Championship (W)March 1981, England 1-2 Spain – International Friendly (L)July 1982, Spain 0-0 England – World Cup (D)February 1987, Spain 2-4 England – International Friendly (W)September 1992, Spain 1-0 England – International Friendly (L)June 1996, England 0(4)-(2)0 Spain – European Championship (W)February 2001, England 3-0 Spain – International Friendly (W)November 2004, Spain 1-0 England – International Friendly (L)February 2007, England 0-1 Spain – International Friendly (L)February 2009, Spain 2-0 England – International Friendly (L)November 2011, England 1-0 Spain – International Friendly (W)November 2015, Spain 2-0 England – International Friendly (L)November 2016, England 2-2 Spain – International Friendly (D)September 2018, England 1-2 Spain – Nations League (L)October 2018, Spain 2-3 England – Nations League (W)Overall, England have won 14, drawn three and lost 10 matches against Spain. 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ITV were forced to censor Ronald Koeman’s post-match interview after Holland were beaten by England.The Dutch manager was left fuming at German referee Felix Zwayer after he awarded the Three Lions a controversial penalty.Ronald Koeman slammed the decision to give England a penaltyCredit: X/ itvfootballDenzel Dumfries caught Harry Kane in the boxCredit: GettyReferee Felix Zwayer gave a penalty after looking at the monitorCredit: GettyXavi Simons had put Holland in the lead in the Euro 2024 semi-final at the Signal Iduna Park with a stunning effort early on.The lead was wiped out as captain Harry Kane netted from the spot just 11 minutes later.However, there was much debate about the penalty as Kane was caught by Denzel Dumfries while taking a shot.Zwayer had initially turned down penalty appeals before being sent to the monitor to have another look by VAR.READ MORE ON EURO 2024After a couple of viewings he decided to change his mind and give England the penalty – despite experts unanimously agreeing it should not be a spot kick.It proved crucial to the result as Gareth Southgate’s side would go on to win the match after Ollie Watkins’ 90th-minute winner.Koeman, spoke to the press after the match and was not happy with the officiating over the decision.While speaking to ITV, the former Everton manager labelled the decision as “s**t”.Most read in Euro 2024BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSHe said: “I don’t agree with the final decision.”What do you need to do as a defender? Somebody is kicking the ball in the box you like to defend the shot.Virgil Van Dijk fumes ‘that says a lot’ after spotting controversial referee’s antics at full time in England clashEngland’s controversial penaltyBy Mark HalseyHARRY KANE was gifted a penalty by controversial referee Felix Zwayer.If England had been on the receiving end of that decision, we would have been absolutely fuming.The German official, previously banned for six months for his part in a match-fixing scandal, should not have been sent to the pitchside monitor by VAR Bastian Dankert.Both Denzel Dumfries and Kane had their feet in the air as England’s captain got his shot away.It was just a clash of legs and certainly NOT a ‘clear and obvious error’.Once Zwayer went over to the monitor, we knew what was going to happen.He is an excellent referee but we have seen that none of the officials seem mentally tough enough to stick with their original call.I know some people will argue Dumfries was late to the tackle and it would have been a free-kick elsewhere on the pitch.But it is a contact sport and it’s natural that there will be a coming together in instances like that.Aside from the penalty award, Zwayer had a good game.There were fears decisions would go against England because of Jude Bellingham’s previous comments about Zwayer.Bellingham was fined £34,000 in 2021 for blaming Zwayer and his match-fixing past for Borussia Dortmund’s 3-2 defeat to Bayern Munich.But Zwayer was right to caution Bellingham for his reckless challenge on Stefan de Vrij in the second half.”And maybe you touch a little bit his foot but come on, if we whistle definite penalty then I don’t agree.”In my opinion it is a s**t decision.”ITV had to bleep the expletive used by the manager.Dutch captain and Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk also agreed with his manager as he insisted it was “difficult to take”.Former England star Gary Neville labelled the decision as a “disgrace” while giving his analysis.The Three Lions will face Spain in the Euro 2024 final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on Sunday.READ MORE SUN STORIESThe Spanish reached the last two with a 2-1 win over France in the first semi-final.A supercomputer has predicted heartache for England once again and has given Spain a 54 per cent chance of winning.England vs Spain recordEngland have played Spain 27 times in total – here is a look at every result…May 1929, Spain 4-3 England – International Friendly (L)December 1931, England 7-1 Spain – International Friendly (W)July 1950, Spain 1-0 England – World Cup (L)May 1955, Spain 1-1 England – International Friendly (D)November 1955, England 4-1 Spain – International Friendly (W)May 1960, Spain 3-0 England – International Friendly (L)October 1960, England 4-2 Spain – International Friendly (W)December 1965, Spain 0-2 England – International Friendly (W)May 1967, England 2-0 Spain – International Friendly (W)April 1968, England 1-0 Spain – European Championship (W)May 1968, Spain 1-2 England – European Championship (W)March 1980, Spain 0-2 England – International Friendly (W)June 1980, England 2-1 Spain – European Championship (W)March 1981, England 1-2 Spain – International Friendly (L)July 1982, Spain 0-0 England – World Cup (D)February 1987, Spain 2-4 England – International Friendly (W)September 1992, Spain 1-0 England – International Friendly (L)June 1996, England 0(4)-(2)0 Spain – European Championship (W)February 2001, England 3-0 Spain – International Friendly (W)November 2004, Spain 1-0 England – International Friendly (L)February 2007, England 0-1 Spain – International Friendly (L)February 2009, Spain 2-0 England – International Friendly (L)November 2011, England 1-0 Spain – International Friendly (W)November 2015, Spain 2-0 England – International Friendly (L)November 2016, England 2-2 Spain – International Friendly (D)September 2018, England 1-2 Spain – Nations League (L)October 2018, Spain 2-3 England – Nations League (W)Overall, England have won 14, drawn three and lost 10 matches against Spain. 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OLLIE WATKINS sent England fans in Germany and at home wild as he booked the Three Lions spot in Euro 2024.And ITV pundits Gary Neville and Ian Wright were no exception.ITV pundits Gary Neville, Ian Wright and Roy Keane watched as Ollie Watkins netted a last-gasp winner for EnglandCredit: X / itvfootballNeville and Wright celebrated wildly, but Keane cast an emotionless figureCredit: X / itvfootballThe Aston Villa star rolled his defender before arrowing a shot across goal and into the back of the net.The goal broke ITV’s broadcasting curse, but was unable to emotionally move Roy Keane.The broadcaster shared a behind-the-scenes video to social media of the trio watching as Watkins scored his 91st minute winner. Former England international’s Neville and Wright both jumped up from their seats and bellowed out cheers upon seeing the goal before embracing in a hug.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLHowever, ex-Ireland international Keane struck a not-so-impressed figure.He was seen standing with his arms folded close to the window and largely emotionless despite the pandemonium around him.Reacting to the clip, one fan said: “Look at Roy Keane.”A second said: “At least Ian was actually watching this time!”Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSA third added: “Even in celebration They know to leave Roy well alone.”Another said: “Neville’s reactions are the best. Probably can’t beat Wright’s celebration from Euro 2020 where he jumped up and with one of the crew.”England fans reaction to dramatic last minute Euros win over NetherlandsEngland were controversially awarded a penalty to equalise shortly after going behind through Xavi Simons screamer.Manchester United star Kobbie Mainoo earned special praise for his performance.Kobbie Mainoo: From work experience kid to England hero… and latest generational talentAND we all thought England had just the one generational talent.Kobbie Mainoo was effectively brought to Germany as a work experience kid but has emerged as the key kid behind this country’s attempt to rewrite history.After just five senior starts, England’s new boy wonder will now have a teenage tear-up against Spain’s Lamine Yamal in the Euro 2024 final.Last night, he did not merely become England’s youngest ever player to feature in a semi-final of a major tournament, aged 19 years and 82 days.Here, he took this semi-final by the scruff of the neck, delivered a performance which was a joy to watch, particularly in the first half, and now England are in their first final on foreign soil.If Jude Bellingham thought he was certain to be England’s main posterboy over the next decade, he has someone else who has now emerged in his rear-view mirror within just a few weeks.To bag an FA Cup winners’ medal at the age of 19 was impressive. To then win Euro 2024 a couple of months later would be extraordinary.As we saw with Manchester United, Mainoo has now fitted seamlessly into the team and provided a perfect mix of both style and substance.Give it a couple of years, and you can only imagine how good this lad is going to be.For much of this tournament, the focus has been on the disappointing form of Harry Kane, Bellingham and Phil Foden.So Mainoo, to a degree, had almost been off the radar. But against the Dutch, in tight, congested spaces, he is a class apart.When he was put under pressure, remained cool, navigated his way out of difficult situations and drove forward.Despite what was at stake, Mainoo once again looked extraordinarily composed and was England’s best player in the first half. He won possession, he rode tackles and he drove forward like an old master.He nearly delivered an assist at 1-1 with some brilliant play. He received the ball from Foden, turned and drove forward before returning the ball to his team-mate but the shot was hacked off the line by Denzel Dumfries.Mainoo delivered a terrific block to snuff out some serious danger in a lightning-quick Dutch counter attack.In the second half, he had less space in midfield but nevertheless still had bags of energy and kept his discipline positionally – and then he let subs Cole Palmer and Ollie Watkins deliver the business.It is still mind-boggling that Mainoo is now heading to Berlin on Sunday, when you consider Mainoo only made his United debut against Charlton in the Carabao Cup in January 2023. His first Premier League start was just eight months ago.Yet it was his dazzling midfield form in an otherwise dysfunctional United team which earned him his first cap as a substitute against Brazil in March. He was then Man of the Match in a ridiculously-good performance in the 2-2 draw with Belgium.Mainoo’s form dipped in the last few weeks of the season. It was probably because he was knackered carrying some of his team-mates. But he then saved them again in the FA Cup final against Manchester City with a Man of the Match performance in a 2-1 win.A bit like Adam Wharton, he was part of England’s 26-man squad to soak up the experience, to learn what it is like to feature in a major tournament and maybe, if needed, to have a few cameo roles off the bench.And the fact he was effectively Southgate’s third-choice to partner Declan Rice here in Germany tells you exactly where he stood in a squad of 26.The Trent Alexander-Arnold midfield failed in the two opening games against Serbia and Denmark. Conor Gallagher – despite some bright performances as a sub in those games – really struggled in his start against Slovenia.Apart from a strong appearance as a substitute by Palmer, Mainoo’s performance against Slovakia was the only bright spot in a dismal and extremely fortunate win over Slovakia in the last 16.There was always a worry about Mainoo’s movement when England do not have possession but that will come with experience, like it would for any other central midfielder.Yet Mainoo has solved the problem for Southgate and now England can continue to dream big. And it is totally unthinkable from where you consider how they played in the group stages when they stunk out Germany.In Sunday’s final, England’s experienced players will be able to draw on the pain of both the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020.For Mainoo, this will be a completely new experience but do not expect him to wilt. He’ll absolutely love it.The result means England will play Spain in Sunday’s final.Spain won their own semi-final with a 2-1 victory over France.England ratings vs HollandENGLAND stormed into the final against Spain thanks to Ollie Watkins’ last-minute strike in the 2-1 win over Holland.It was a brilliant team performance, but how did each player rate?SunSport’s Tom Barclay ran the rule over Southgate’s boys, and here’s how he rated them.Jordan Pickford: 7Bigger goalkeepers may have got a stronger hand to Xavi Simons’ early stunner – though that was being hypercritical. Solid stop to deny Virgil van Dijk after the hour.Kyle Walker: 7Looked re-energised after some lumbering displays and bombed on at times in the first half, despite his role on the right of a back three. Last-ditch tackle on Cody Gakpo was spot on.John Stones: 7Strong in possession. He looks to have benefited from regular game-time after rarely featuring for Manchester City in the last few months.Marc Guehi: 6Came back into the side after suspension ruled him out of the Switzerland game. Had an unenviable task of making the big man Wout Weghorst after the break.Bukayo Saka: 7Razor-sharp in the first half, winning tackles, making runs and dribbling the ball proficiently. Less of an impact after the break, had a goal ruled out for offside and was booked.Declan Rice: 6Lost possession for Simons’ thunderous opener but grew into the game, mopping up where necessary. Poor pass when Kane was open midway through the second half.Kobbie Mainoo: 8Was England’s youngest-ever player to play in a major-tournament semi-final, aged 19years 82 days, and had a stormer in the first half. Great bursts forward, vital tackles, and his interplay with Foden was a joy.Kieran Trippier: 6We all know by now that he is playing out of position, so again he was limited going forward and reliable defensively. Subbed at half-time for the more natural Shaw.Phil Foden: 7The first 45 minutes was by far and away his best half of the tournament. Thought he’d scored when his shot was cleared off the line by Denzel Dumfries, and cracked the post with a cracker. But was then surprisingly subbed.Jude Bellingham: 5Back at the ground where he made his name but struggled to make much of an impact on his old stomping ground. Fortunate it was not he that was subbed.Harry Kane: 6Won and dispatched the penalty to go joint top-scorer in the tournament with three goals. Had looked more mobile initially but still tired badly after the break and was taken off.SUBSLuke Shaw (for Kieran Trippier, half-time): 6Looked assured for a man who has been out for so long.Ollie Watkins (for Harry Kane, 81): 9 and STAR MAN Surprisingly given the nod over Ivan Toney as striker sub as Southgate looked for more pace in behind. Brilliant finish into the corner to win the game – you could not ask more from him.Cole Palmer (for Phil Foden, 81): 7Had his big chance in the final minutes but shanked it horribly wide – but then fed Watkins for his wonderful winner.Gareth Southgate: 8His switch to a back three against Switzerland helped dig out the win there, and here it had his team finally playing some great football in the first half. The team went into their shells again as the game wore on and you feared the worst – but you have to say his decision to bring on Ollie Watkins was a masterstroke.  More

ROY KEANE criticised the “arrogance” of England fans for “expecting to win every major tournament for 30 years”.The former Manchester United and Republic of Ireland star was part of ITV’s coverage for England’s semi-final against the Netherlands.Roy Keane slammed England fans’ ‘arrogance’Credit: ITVBut Ian Wright said England have the players to win this tournamentCredit: ITVIn the buildup to the match, Mark Pougatch, Ian Wright, Gary Neville and Keane were talking about whether the England shirt “weighs heavily” on England players at major tournaments due to the pressure of fans.But Keane felt that was an arrogant comment, and urged England’s players to “focus on winning” rather than worrying about expectations put on them by fans.He explained: “You talk about England not having won anything for 30, 40 years, that’s not on this group of players. Focus on winning the game of football and history will take care of itself.”When you talk about the weight of the jersey, I think there’s a bit of arrogance that comes with that. READ MORE ON EURO 2024″The consequences of a mistake, that is part of top level sport, you have to deal with that and over the years maybe they haven’t done that well enough.”Keane’s co-pundit Wright interrupted him to say: “Roy, you say about arrogance, we’ve got players who are good enough to win. We’ve got players that are capable of winning this tournament.”Gary Neville said expectations weighed his ‘golden generation’ downCredit: ITVCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSBut Keane hit back: “We’ve been hearing that every tournament, for 30-50 years. To say you’ve had players to win every tournament over the last 30 years, I don’t agree with that.”Gareth Southgate’s England side has been the most successful of England’s modern era.Most read in Euro 2024Gary Neville fumes ‘it’s a disgrace’ at England penalty decision as Man Utd legend admits referee ‘offended’ himUnder his stewardship the Three Lions reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2018 and the final of Euro 2020.Neville, who was part of England’s ‘golden generation’ said that while his England cohort had talents such as Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, they underperformed thanks in part to the weight of expectation put on them by fans.The former Man Utd right-back said: “As the golden generation, we underperformed. Players had unbelievable reputations, but put the England shirt on and were worried if it went wrong. “It’s heartening to see that Gareth said at start of tournament they were worried about outside criticism. This time they’ve had to come through it.”It’s heartening to see that Gareth said at start of tournament they were worried about outside criticism. This time they’ve had to come through it.”Keane was characteristically unimpressed by Neville’s comments on his ‘golden generation’ and said: “Please educate me on the golden generation. Having good players doesn’t make you a good team. If you have solid good group of players, proper men, they’ll deal with the pressure, it’s part of the pressure of winning tournaments.”BBC and ITV’s Euro 2024 line up in fullHere’s how each channel will line-up:BBC presenters:Gary Lineker, Alex Scott, Gabby Logan and Mark ChapmanITV presenters:Mark Pougatch and Laura Woods BBC pundits:Alan Shearer, Micah Richards, Rio Ferdinand, Ellen White, Frank Lampard, Ashley Williams, Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart, Cesc Fabregas, Thomas Frank, David Moyes, Rachel Corsie and James McFaddenITV pundits:Ian Wright, Roy Keane, Gary Neville, Karen Carney, Graeme Souness, Eni Aluko, Ange Postecoglou, Danny Rohl and Christina UnkelBBC commentators:Guy Mowbray, Robyn Cowen, Vicki Sparks, Steve Wilson, Steve Bower and Jonathan PearceITV commentators:Sam Matterface, Clive Tyldesley, Seb Hutchinson, Pien Meulensteen and Joe SpeightBBC co-commentators:Danny Murphy, Martin Keown, Jermaine Jenas and James McFaddenITV co-commentators:Lee Dixon, Ally McCoist and Andros Townsend More