British press: "Fans should stop mocking manager Southgate"

Báo Dân trí•11/07/2024

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - The British media has completely changed its attitude after witnessing England, under the leadership of coach Gareth Southgate, reach the Euro final for the second consecutive time.

Highlights: England beat Netherlands 2-1 in the Euro 2024 semi-final.

"It's time to stop mocking manager Gareth Southgate after his superb performance in England's 2-1 victory over the Netherlands," read the prominent headline of the Daily Mail after England came from behind to win 2-1 against the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 semi-final at Signal Iduna Park (Dortmund, Germany) on the morning of July 11 (Vietnam time).

Báo giới Anh: — Ollie Watkins scored in the 90th minute to help England reach the European Championship final for the second consecutive time (Photo: Getty).

Despite conceding an early goal just seven minutes into the match after a stunning long-range strike from Xavi Simons, England quickly equalized in the 18th minute thanks to a penalty from Harry Kane. VAR confirmed that the England captain had been fouled by defender Denzel Dumfries inside the penalty area. The game remained evenly contested for the remainder of the match, and it seemed both teams would go into extra time, but substitute Ollie Watkins scored the winning goal in the 90th minute, securing a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands and a place in the final against Spain. This marks the second consecutive time that manager Gareth Southgate has led England to a European Championship final, having previously lost to Italy on penalties three years prior at Wembley Stadium in London. "Perhaps now, before it's too late, you'll say that perhaps you misunderstood Gareth Southgate. Perhaps now that he has led England to consecutive Euro finals, you'll acknowledge what he has done for football in this country. Perhaps now is the time to stop throwing beer glasses at him, mocking him and making him a stranger in his own homeland," commented Dailymail journalist Oliver Holt in his article.

Echoing the Daily Mail's sentiment, The Sun also published an article by former Arsenal star Jack Wilshere with the headline: "A less-than-glamorous journey, but England have reached another big final. Gareth Southgate has the perfect opportunity to respond to the criticism leveled against him." In the post, the former England player commented on his team's victory: "We could have preferred a team that played better football. But ultimately, the result is what matters. Germany, Italy, France, Portugal and of course the Netherlands would have loved to be where we are. People will say we were lucky to be on this side of the draw. But we topped our group and then came up against Spain. You could say the journey wasn't pretty, but we still got there to the final. But whatever happened, Gareth did a fantastic job. He is now England's second most successful manager. His record speaks for itself. We reached two major finals, plus a semi-final and a quarter-final in a major tournament."

"Southgate vindicated as he makes history," Sky Sport headlined, praising Gareth Southgate's victory over the Netherlands. "It's not about how teams start a tournament, but how they finish it. And perhaps for the first time in Germany this summer, England looked like a team capable of finishing Euro 2024 as champions. Huge for the country, huge for Southgate. English football history keeps talking about the 1966 World Cup victory and that's it. But the two other finals England have reached, for the most part, in fact, have been under Southgate's leadership, who was heavily criticized before leading the Three Lions to their second consecutive Euro final," Sky Sport emphasized. The Guardian , a British newspaper, also praised the Three Lions' victory, with the headline: "Southgate questioned and insulted, but England are the ones in the final." "A victory here is significant in many ways, especially for Southgate, who has avoided the constant plastic cups and swearing at this tournament, to the point where he's become a kind of lightning rod for the anger and frustration of the English. His team will now play their second consecutive Euro final, an extraordinary step for a nation that had only reached one final in its entire history before Southgate took over," The Guardian emphasized. England will face Spain in the Euro 2024 final at the Olympic Stadium (Berlin, Germany) at 2:00 AM on July 15th (Vietnam time). Spain hopes to set a record of winning their fourth European Championship, having already triumphed in 1964, 2008, and 2012. England has the opportunity to win a European Championship for the first time in their history.

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