England and Holland are both through to the last 16 of Euro 2020

 England and Holland are both through to the last 16 of Euro 2020.

It may be true to say that both Holland and England have followed almost identical paths since last they came across each other on the way to a major tournament. Holland of course were the team who so incensed former England manager Graham Taylor that Channel 4 thought it was an excellent pitch for a documentary. A superb free kick from Ronald Koeman beat England keeper David Seaman all ends up, as the Dutch denied England their place in the all singing, all dancing World Cup in the USA of 1994.

Last night both the Dutch and English joined the rest of this European footballing carnival in the last 16 of Euro 2020. For England this is quite the most familiar story you'll ever hear. You muddle laboriously through the group stages, scrape your way past Scotland with a turgid, tedious goal-less draw after deservedly beating Croatia and then hope against hope that mathematics will come to your rescue.

Before their last group game against a spirited Czech Republic, England knew they'd come through the preliminary preambles at the knock out stages of Euro 2020 unscathed. It wasn't the prettiest of sketches since you could still see the charcoal and there were smudges on the paper that tarnished all three games. Watching England can often remind you of a gruelling assault course, men climbing over walls, squelching through thick, cloying mud, becoming slightly disoriented before emerging with a clean slate. 

For most of the first half of England's last group game against Czech Republic, England simply went through the motions, patiently feeling their way into the game and moving their opponents around the centre of the pitch rather like pawns on a chessboard. They built their platforms, established their understanding with each other and generally looked very comfortable and cohesive as an attacking unit. It was never likely to be easy since the Czechs were here on a mission to win and they certainly meant business.

But unlike their toils and struggles against Scotland last Friday, England were sharper, faster, livelier and more mindful of what was at stake. Against Scotland England were like a bulldozer trying desperately to smash a navy wall of Scottish shirts. They kept pummelling the brickwork and masonry but the Scots were simply defiant and ultimately unplayable. The tools certainly needed to be stronger to unlock a stubborn Scots defence who just stifled England with the thickest of defensive blankets. 

Normally England take an age to wake up in major international tournaments and although the victory against Croatia was welcome and refreshing, you privately suspected that things would only get harder. You can only assume that Gareth Southgate gave his men a peace of mind without throwing crockery at them in the dressing room. There are times though when you can only take so much and another display such as the one he witnessed against Scotland would have to be avoided immediately. 

Southgate, having dispensed with the waistcoat, looked like one of those building society managers who deliver inspirational speeches at an annual general meeting and dinner. The suit was impeccably ironed, shirt and tie a menswear salesmen's pride and joy. Southgate does not do impassioned rants or four- letter expletives because he probably doesn't think they work as such. Brian Clough would probably have let off some steam but Clough was deeply in love with the game and besotted with its finer arts. Clough, though and the English FA never saw eye to eye with each other whereas Southgate clearly does. 

Last night England played the game at a much higher tempo and intensity than we might have expected. You'd have thought the Scotland match was still playing on their minds. But this was an altogether different and far more reinvigorated England, quicker in their distribution of the ball and more complete as a team. They showed a far greater initiative and whereas they treated the ball like a hot potato against Scotland, this was a much more palatable salad.

And yet after Raheem Sterling had given England the lead after 12 minutes, England, for all their tap dancing with the ball and teasing the opposition for long periods with protracted periods of possession,  only threatened the Czech Republic goal when it suited them. But this was much more like the England who outplayed Croatia even though they never really looked like running away with a conclusive victory last night.  

Before Sterling had scored, the Manchester City man had hit the post and the neutrals must have thought it was just one of those nights when the ball refuses to obey you and you find yourself in a messy predicament you can't escape from. For a while last night England did find themselves in complex mazes and draughty corridors but then Sterling made his presence felt and all was well with the world. 

England have always prided themselves on their wingers through the ages. When the likes of Peter Barnes and Steve Coppell were driving down the flanks with shuffles, swerves, jinks and shimmies, England looked in a good place, ready to embrace their good, old fashioned habits. Further back in time Tom Finney and Stanley Matthews would show the ball to their defenders before thundering down the wings with daring directness and cutting penetration. 

Once again though Raheem Sterling, when presented with the ball, had proprietorial rights to the ball, steadily holding it, shielding it for crucial seconds, before turning and rotating his body with all the suppleness and athleticism he could find. Sterling was, to quote the popular jargon, constantly on the front foot, wriggling sinuously, carrying the ball with unwavering confidence in his ability, taking on the Czech defenders and then charging forward as if his life depended on it.

The winning England goal of course was, quite literally, a thing of beauty. After re-cycling the ball twice outside their penalty area, the young Arsenal forward Bakuyo Saka, certainly one of the most shining lights of the whole evening, burst forward to join in with the England  passing pageant  before the ever stylish Jack Grealish tricked his way to the byline, standing up his high cross towards the far post where Saka glanced the ball on with his head and Sterling came roaring in to head in England's opening goal of the night. 

But then in the second half the firm foundation that Harry Maguire  and John Stones thought they had discovered at the heart of the defence began to loosen in the second half. Then the Leeds busybody Kalvin Phillips began to lose his creative juices while Jack Grealish, indulging himself with some lovely, languid passing, also tried valiantly to tie up the Czechs in ever increasing knots. But every time Grealish so much as put his best foot forward, a red shirt would send him flying to the ground with red blooded tackling that made you wince with horror.

Alongside Phillips and Bakuyo Saka, Grealish was the proverbial pain in the neck, nagging, pestering and hassling the Czechs with some of the most skilful touches of the evening. Grealish is unpredictable, always seeking and then finding, scheming, manipulative, opportunistic, clever and always ready to take on defenders single handedly. Grealish seems to take his time, drawing defenders deceptively out of position and nut megging the ball through their legs with the minimum of ease. 

At the moment Grealish is attracting some of the most ridiculous comparisons to players of his ilk in years gone past. Some are convinced that Grealish is one of those free spirits who simply ignores the law book and creates his own mood music. Last night some of the more looser tongues drew parallels with Paul Gascoigne but Grealish is far from the outrageous or outlandish type who will just drown their sorrows when adversity arrives at his doorstep. 

True, the impression one gets is that Grealish can be wayward and just a touch moody if things aren't quite going his way. But there was nothing disobedient or iconoclastic about Grealish's football. There were of course the cheeky step overs and the dizzying drag backs when faced with a defender who just keeps nagging away at him. Grealish did things though with practicality, tidiness, commonsense but then a mature intelligence that certainly vindicated Gareth Southgate's decision to play the Aston Villa playmaker from the start. 

For England though this was mission accomplished and although the Czechs were extremely troublesome and full of big match wisdom, England played out the second half in the most leisurely fashion. There was a shot from the Czech West Ham midfield player Thomas Soucek that went narrowly wide and one or two minor emergencies for the English defence. But England took a deep breath, crowded out sporadic Czech Republic attacks and just about survived a jittery period. 

England will now face either Portugal, Germany or France which is exactly the path they trod 55 years ago in their only victorious World Cup. Then Portugal had the majestic Eusebio to deal with, then Sir Bobby Charlton loaded up his shooting artillery against France before cracking an unstoppable shot into the net for England's winner. Then Sir Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters and the inimitable Bobby Moore sent the Germans toppling, as England triumphed in a 4-2 World Cup Final victory that has yet to be matched. England may expect but this is the business end of Euro 2020 and there is no room for shy, shrinking violets.

Meanwhile back in the Cruyff arena in Holland, the team who should have won two consecutive World Cup Finals but failed on both occasions, were polishing off little North Macedonia 3-0. Now most of us know what Holland are capable of doing and their history is like some well chronicled tale of dressing room bust ups, furious arguments behind the scenes, internal dissent of every imaginable kind and the kind of toxic atmosphere within the team that isn't conducive to free flowing football. 

At their best Holland are rather like their tulips and canals, peaceful when the mood takes them and clearly a team whose wild infatuation with Total Football almost singles them out as unique and irreplaceable. Their intuitive one touch football, controlled passing, telepathic link up play and immaculate positional sense are like gleaming chandeliers in a well lit ballroom. 

Against North Macedonia, Memphis Depay, their standout player, Patrick Van Aanholt, Frank Gravenberch, the tireless and ageless Daley Blind, the always adventurous Denzil Dumfries and the attractive combinations of the sublime Gigi Wijnaldum all gave colour and personality to the Dutch attack. At times Holland did enough on the ball to suggest that they could provide a shock or two in Euro 2020 but perhaps this is a tournament too soon for the Dutch. 

At varying times Depay became almost impossible to handle and when Depay, Wijnaldum and Blind ganged up on their opponents it was rather like watching an old film that had lost none of its quality. All contributed to every single one of Holland's three goals with cut backs from the by line, passes played at lightning speed and finishing that was out of this world. Holland will make innumerable friends during Euro 2020 but the jury may be out. Holland and England. Two kindred spirits in their own way.