England once again overcome in the UEFA Nations League.

England once again overcome in the UEFA Nations League.

As if last year's World Cup wasn't heartbreaking enough England had do exactly the same thing at the semi final stage of a tournament, which while lacking the status and prestige of a World Cup or European Championship still meant the world to a Holland side still re-building and in transition after missing the World Cup in Russia last year.

It is hard to know what to make of the UEFA Nations League since this new fangled European competition has still to make it firmly into the public consciousness. Somehow this feels like some in between, interim football tournament which looks as it may have been tagged onto the end of the season rather like some poor excuse to leave Gareth Southgate's men even more desperately out on their feet.

After that wretchedly dull and disappointing Champions League final where Liverpool seemed to simply shut out Spurs following Mo Salah's hotly disputed penalty in the third minute it was time to make the briefest return to the international scene. England, for their part, were no lightweights against Holland and did offer sporadic attacking threats in this first UEFA National League semi final. At times though it must have felt like England were simply idly watching windmills without concentrating on the immediate task at hand.

Recent history might have suggested that this could have been England's turn to hit the jackpot against the Dutch. The sight of Teddy Sheringham and Alan Shearer terrorising the Dutch defence in Euro 96, still sends a glow of pleasure through the body. But eight years earlier the richly skilful and versatile Marco Van Basten who scored that sensational volley for the Dutch in the Euro 88 final, joined forces with the sumptuously stylish Ruud Gullit to clinch Holland's first major trophy.

It is now 26 years since Holland once again denied England at the final hurdle. In 1993, the late but appallingly reviled Graham Taylor could only look on in horror as England came a cropper against Ronald Koeman's beautifully struck free kick. Taylor hung his head in his hands, shocked at the injustice of the defeat before lecturing the linesman on how the said official had confirmed his sacking in the morning. It was one of football's most raw and poignant moments, one Channel Four were there to highlight quite dramatically.

Now of course Holland were back in contention for a major trophy, one they may begin to believe will never come their way again. But all good things come to those who wait and Holland, while never scaling the heights achieved when the Johans Cruyff and Neeskens were picking defences apart quite brutally during the 1970s, felt much better about themselves after scrambling around in the icy wilderness of football's hinterland.

England though did look much the livelier and hungrier for a large part of the opening stages and once Kyle Walker, still revelling after winning the domestic treble with Manchester City, the impeccable John Stones, Leicester's Harry Maguire and the wet behind the ears Ben Chilwell had erected the strongest of defensive barriers, Holland may have felt tempted to believe that this was going to be a long, hard and gruelling evening for them.

When Marcus Rashford gave England the lead with a penalty on the half hour, Gareth Southgate could have been forgiven for thinking that he was re- living the World Cup semi final against Croatia last year. Sadly, the outcome of last night's game would bear a remarkable similarity to the Croatia game. When Matthijs De Ligt had levelled up the match and Kyle Walker had scored a most unfortunate own goal for the Dutch, England began to look back to those two previous encounters between these two teams and wish longingly that they could suddenly re-capture the spirit of Euro 96.

Now England's defence began to creak and groan like some old fashioned listed building and some of the most clumsy mistakes and basic errors were sloppily perpetrated when perhaps they could have been avoided. After Jessie Lingard's goal for England had been ruled out by the wonders of VAR, Holland found their focus and direction, pinning England back with some of the most fluent attacking football of the game.

With the game now in its crucial extra time period and England visibly tiring, Holland broke out of defence with speed and promptness. In the 114th minute Quincy Promes sealed the victory for Holland, one they might have been craving for quite some time. So Holland it is who move on to reach the UEFA Nations League Final against Portugal and for some of us that has all the magnetic appeal of a wet, wintry afternoon by the seaside. Roll on Euro 2020. Maybe the UEFA Nations League was nothing but a figment of the imagination.