"Changed the tournament", "Can he get a knighthood too" - Fans hail Kobbie Mainoo's performance in England's Euro 2024 S/F win
Fans hailed Kobbie Mainoo on X after his brilliant performance in England's 2-1 win against the Netherlands in their Euro 2024 semi-final clash (Wednesday, July 10). The Oranje got off to the perfect start when Xavi Simons took advantage of Declan Rice losing the ball in midfield. The former unleashed a stunning effort from distance, finding the top corner to make it 1-0 in the seventh minute.
Unfortunately for the Netherlands, Denzel Dumfries conceded a penalty nine minutes later with a challenge on Harry Kane. The latter made no mistake in leveling the scores. The second-half substitute pair of Cole Palmer and Ollie Watkins then combined in the 90th minute, with the latter scoring from a tight angle to give the Three Lions the win.
Kobbie Mainoo made his fifth appearance at Euro 2024 and had an outstanding performance in midfield. The 19-year-old completed 36 out of an attempted 42 passes with an accuracy of 86 percent, created one chance and made six passes into the final third. He also won all three of his ground duels and made two interceptions.
One fan reacted by posting:
"Mainoo changed the tournament for England"
Another fan tweeted:
"Can he get a knighthood too along with Southgate?"
Other reactions can be viewed below:
"Y’all keep mentioning names like Jude and Vinicius when Mainoo is the one who deserves the Ballon d’Or," one fan typed.
"70% of the earth is covered by water, the rest is covered by kobbie mainoo," one fan stated.
"Kobbie Mainoo. That’s the tweet. This guys ceiling is something we may never have seen before. 19 years old and making a European Championship semi final his PLAYGROUND. Joker," one fan posted.
"kobbie mainoo might just be the greatest footballer of all time," one fan claimed.
"Kobbie Mainoo is who Barcelona fans think Gavi is. Generational talent," another chimed in.
How did England fare in their 2-1 Euro 2024 semi-final win against the Netherlands?
Ollie Watkins broke Dutch hearts when he scored a last-minute winner to send England to the Euro 2024 finals. The Three Lions will face off against Spain on Sunday, July 14, but let's look at how both teams fared in today's clash.
Gareth Southgate and company have come under a lot of criticism from fans at Euro 2024 for their defensive approach and lack of conviction in high-profile games. However, they fared better on the ball, keeping 59 percent possession and attempting 589 passes with an accuracy of 92 percent. The Netherlands had 41 percent possession, attempting 413 passes with an accuracy of 89 percent.
England were also more industrious in attack, landing nine shots with five on target. In contrast, the Dutch mustered seven shots with two being on target.