The Three Lions fell behind in the seventh minute of the
contest, with Xavi Simons getting the better of Declan Rice before unleashing
an unstoppable effort past Jordan Pickford and into the top corner.
England didn't have too long to wait for a leveller, however,
with Kane scoring a penalty just 11 minutes later.
The Bayern Munich hitman shot past Bart Verbruggen after
being fouled by Denzel Dumfries inside the box, banishing the demons of the
2022 World Cup in the process.
And Watkins struck at the death to spark wild celebrations on
the England bench, with the Three Lions just 90 minutes away from ending 58
years of hurt.
There have been plenty of question marks over England at this
tournament.
After a 1-0 win over Serbia, they were unable to find a way
past Denmark and Slovenia. Pressure mounted, and heavily.
Ever since Jude Bellingham's stunning overhead kick against
Slovakia, however, things have changed.
England have a new lease of life and the lion has finally
roared. After their dramatic penalty shootout win over Switzerland on Saturday,
they're riding a wave. A wave that might, just might, take them all the way.
This was England at their brilliant best, the England
everybody has been waiting to see.
They were unfortunate to fall behind early on, with Simons'
goal coming against the run of play.
England players of yesteryear would have gone hiding. Not
this crop, however. Not this mix of old and young that have made a nation dream
once more.
Kane missed a penalty for England when they lost to France in
the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
But he showed nerves of steel to bounce back tonight, with
his brilliant penalty laying the foundations for England's brilliant comeback.
It was the least England deserved.
They were agonisingly close to going ahead in the first half,
with Phil Foden seeing a terrific effort strike the bar.
Foden also thought he'd scored when he wiggled through the
Netherlands defence, only for his effort to be cleared off the line.
In the second half, after the interval, things were close and
tight.
England, while creating more chances, left themselves
vulnerable at the back with Jordan Pickford called into action on a couple of
occasions to keep the Netherlands at bay.
In the end, however, it was Wakins who struck and stood up to
become a hero.
It has been a frustrating tournament for the Aston Villa
star, who flourished for his club last season as they qualified for the
Champions League.
Watkins, during recent matches, has had to put up with being
behind both Kane and Ivan Toney in the pecking order.
With Kane starting to flag a little amid the heat of the
battle, however, Southgate opted to roll the dice.
Watkins spun around after some good work from Cole Palmer,
another substitute.
And the Villa striker finished with aplomb, firing England
through to their second final in three years.
The celebrations at the end of the match were wild and
jubilant. Whether they can celebrate victory over Spain on Sunday, in a final
that means so much, remains to be seen.
