Published 10 July 2024 3 min read
England Men's Senior Team
Ollie Watkins: 'The best feeling ever'
England's Ollie Watkins reflects on his match-winning performance in the EURO 2024 semi-final
MATCH REPORT: NETHERLANDS v ENGLAND
England’s EURO 2024 semi-final hero Ollie Watkins was overcome by elation, following his match-winning display in Dortmund against the Netherlands.
The Aston Villa striker was introduced as a second-half substitute by Gareth Southgate with the game tied at 1-1.
And when Watkins latched onto fellow sub Cole Palmer’s pass in the 90th minute, his instant snap shot sent England into a first-ever major final on foreign soil.
“Unbelievable, I've been waiting for that moment for weeks,” said the former Exeter City and Brentford man.
“It's taken a lot of hard work to get to where I am today and I'm grateful that I've got the opportunity and I've grabbed it with both hands and I'm delighted. I'm just delighted.
"I swear on my life, on my kid's life, I said to Cole Palmer: ‘we're coming on today and you're going to set me up' and that's why I was so happy with Coley.
“I knew as soon as he got the ball, he was going to play me and you've got to be greedy, touch and finish. And when I've seen it go in the bottom corner, that's the best feeling ever.”
The Aston Villa striker was introduced as a second-half substitute by Gareth Southgate with the game tied at 1-1.
And when Watkins latched onto fellow sub Cole Palmer’s pass in the 90th minute, his instant snap shot sent England into a first-ever major final on foreign soil.
“Unbelievable, I've been waiting for that moment for weeks,” said the former Exeter City and Brentford man.
“It's taken a lot of hard work to get to where I am today and I'm grateful that I've got the opportunity and I've grabbed it with both hands and I'm delighted. I'm just delighted.
"I swear on my life, on my kid's life, I said to Cole Palmer: ‘we're coming on today and you're going to set me up' and that's why I was so happy with Coley.
“I knew as soon as he got the ball, he was going to play me and you've got to be greedy, touch and finish. And when I've seen it go in the bottom corner, that's the best feeling ever.”
The Three Lions will now play in a second successive EURO Final, following on from their appearance in the 2021 showpiece at Wembley Stadium when they lost on penalties to Italy.
And Watkins believes the spirit and resilience in the squad can only help following their EURO 2024 journey in Germany so far.
“Yeah, exactly, we've got that kind of bounce back factor, going to go behind, but it seems to kick us into gear and we never give up.
“We've won on penalties, we've come from behind.
“One more game now, one more game.”
And Watkins believes the spirit and resilience in the squad can only help following their EURO 2024 journey in Germany so far.
“Yeah, exactly, we've got that kind of bounce back factor, going to go behind, but it seems to kick us into gear and we never give up.
“We've won on penalties, we've come from behind.
“One more game now, one more game.”