England need to be prepared to handle a ‘step up’ in the quality of their next opponents at Euro 2024 after learning they will face the Netherlands with a place in the final on the line, according to Gary Neville.
Ronald Koeman’s side fought back from a goal down to beat Turkey 2-1 just a couple of hours after England had seen off Switzerland on penalties in the earlier kick-off on Saturday evening.
The Westfalenstadion now awaits on Wednesday evening to find out who will earn the honour of facing either France or Spain (who meet on Tuesday night) in next Sunday’s final.
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Had Groups C and D shaken out according to pre-tournament expectations – with England topping their group and the Netherlands finishing second to France – the two sides would already have met by now, but they didn’t, so they haven’t.
Speaking as an ITV pundit after the Dutch comeback, Neville said: “It’s a proper game. It could have happened, obviously, in the second round, couldn’t it? We ended up with Slovakia…but you’re always going to face the best teams at some point in the competition.
“I think England’s route, so far, has been pretty favourable. This is a step up, obviously, on Wednesday, but you’d expect that in a semi-final it’s going to be a fantastic match, obviously, in Dortmund’s stadium.”
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Jordan Pickford’s shootout save to deny Manuel Akanji proved decisive for England against Switzerland (Image credit: Getty Images)
Neville lined up alongside Gareth Southgate in the England defence when the two sides last faced off at a major summer tournament, with England claiming a 4-1 win thanks to two goals apiece from Alan Shearer and Teddy Sheringham.
The former Manchester United right-back is naturally hoping that England can replicate that with even more on the line on Wednesday evening, saying: “[It brings back] memories of 96 – the last time we played the Dutch in a major tournament.
“It was one of England’s most memorable performances. It was a tactical masterclass from Terry Venables, and obviously Gareth was there as well.”
