A familiar face, an ability to win ugly and a solid disciplinary record - what England must look out for in semi-final showdown against the Netherlands

England secured a spot in the Euro 2024 semi-finals on Saturday with a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over Switzerland.

After a hard-fought game, where Bukayo Saka cancelled out Breel Embolo's opener for the Swiss, the Three Lions scored all five of their spot kicks to reach the final four of the tournament.

Standing in their way of a second successive European Championship final are the Netherlands, who came from behind to beat Turkey 2-1 on Saturday.

The Oranje have progressed to the semi-finals despite coming third in their group, yet Ronald Koeman's side will pose plenty of dangers to England.

In light of the blockbuster showdown on Wednesday evening, Mail Sport's AADAM PATEL gives the lowdown on the Dutch and what the Three Lions must look out for... 

A familiar face

The man for the big occasion with six goals across the last two major tournaments.

Gakpo is a contender for player of the tournament, having dazzled for the Dutch down his preferred left flank, and helped force their winning goal last night. 

He looks a different animal for his country, with manager Ronald Koeman admitting he is ‘maybe our most important player.’ 

His new Dutch boss at Liverpool, Arne Slot, has already stated his desire for Gakpo to reach another level. 

‘I hope he can step up a bit more, especially in the semi-final,’ said Slot in his first press conference at Liverpool. 

If he does, England better watch out.

Hitting their levels 

After they beat Romania with a dominant display, Koeman insisted ‘this is the level’ his side would have to stay at if they wanted to reach the final, warning them they could not drop. 

The pressure was on Koeman and his players after scraping through the group stages, with the likes of Memphis Depay and Gakpo saying they were treating it as a ‘new tournament’ from the knockouts onwards. 

They backed up their words and then dug deep last night, showing that the Dutch are peaking at the right time. 

They will head to Dortmund brimming with confidence, knowing they can win ugly too after last night’s efforts.

Solid discipline 

Against Slovakia, England lacked discipline in the opening stages, picking up three bookings in the first 17 minutes. 

Out of all the teams at the Euros, only Scotland (five) and Ukraine (three) have got fewer bookings than the Dutch. 

They are keen to play attractive football, with the manager insisting it is a necessity for Dutch teams, and with one of the best disciplinary records in the competition, England must be on their best behaviour.

The last thing Gareth Southgate and Co need is a moment like David Beckham in 1998 or Wayne Rooney in 2006. A man less could prove pivotal.