Ollie Watkins

'Greedy' Ollie Watkins delighted to take chance with late winner for England


Ollie Watkins admitted he'd been 'waiting for that moment for weeks' after striking the crucial goal for England against the Netherlands.

Harry Kane’s spot-kick cancelled out a superb Xavi Simons opener before Watkins stepped off the bench and wrote his name into the history books by sealing a 2-1 triumph in the 90th minute.

It sealed the Three Lions' spot for the final in Berlin, where they face Spain on Sunday.

Speaking to ITV after the game, Watkins said: "Unbelievable. I’ve been waiting for that moment for weeks.

"It’s taken a lot of hard work to get to where I am now. I’m grateful I got the opportunity and I grabbed it with both hands and I’m delighted."

And it was a combination of Gareth Southgate's substitutes for the winning goal, with Cole Palmer the other of a double change made with Watkins in the 81st minute.

"I swear on my life, on my kids’ lives, I said to Cole ‘We’re coming on and you’re going to set me up’," Watkins continued.

"That’s why I was so happy with Coley, I knew as soon as he got the ball he was going to play me.

"You’ve got to be greedy, touch and shoot and when I see it going into the bottom corner it’s the best feeling ever."

Utilising the bench has been a point of much discussion surrounding the England team throughout the tournament with pundits arguing that Southgate is too slow in making his changes.

But Watkins revealed that they haven't been concerned with the opinions given by those outside of the camp.

“There’s been a lot of criticism but at the end of the day we’re in the final and that’s all that matters," he said.

"Forget all the outside noise, we’re in the final."

"We’ve got that kind of bounce-back factor, going a goal behind seems to kick us into gear. We never give up. We’ve won on penalties and come from behind.

"There’s one more game now – we’re ready."


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