Ollie Watkins the unlikely toast of England after last-gasp winner at Euro 2024
England's Ollie Watkins celebrates at the end of a semifinal against Netherlands at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Wednesday, July 10, 2024. England won the game 2-1. (Friso Gentsch/dpa via AP)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Friso Gentsch]
DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Ollie Watkins says he is a realist. He has never pictured himself playing at a major tournament for England. That was especially the case when as a teenager learning his trade as a striker he was sent on loan to English sixth-tier club Weston-super-Mare in 2015. So imagine what went through Watkins’ mind when he saw his stoppage-time shot fly past Netherlands goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and into the bottom corner to earn England a place in the European Championship final? Watkins says “I don’t think I’ve hit a ball that sweet before” after England’s 2-1 victory over the Dutch in the semifinals on Wednesday. Watkins is suddenly the toast of England.
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