Watch Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink ‘remember he’s Dutch’ during England’s wild celebrations for Watkins’ victory against Holland

HARRY KANE was awarded a penalty by controversial referee Felix Zwayer.

If England had been the target of this decision, we would have been absolutely furious.

The German referee, previously suspended for six months for his part in a match-fixing scandal, should not have been sent to the pitch monitor by VAR Bastian Dankert.

Both Denzel Dumfries and Kane had their feet in the air when the England captain struck.

It was just a clash of legs and certainly NOT a “clear and obvious error”.
As soon as Zwayer walked up to the monitor, we knew what was going to happen.

He is an excellent referee, but we have seen that none of the referees seem mentally strong enough to uphold the original decision.

I know some people will argue that Dumfries was late making the tackle and that it would have been a free kick elsewhere on the pitch.

But it is a contact sport and it is natural for there to be convergence in cases like this.

In addition to the penalty kick, Zwayer had a good game.

There were fears that the decisions would go against England because of Jude Bellingham’s previous comments about Zwayer.

Bellingham was fined £34,000 in 2021 for blaming Zwayer and his match-fixing past for Borussia Dortmund’s 3-2 defeat to Bayern Munich.

But Zwayer was right to caution Bellingham for his reckless tackle on Stefan de Vrij in the second half.

It was a brilliant team performance, but how did each player rate?

SunSport’s Tom Barclay ruled Southgate’s boys, and here’s how he rated them.

Jordan Pickford: 7

Bigger goalkeepers may have been stronger on Xavi Simons’ first goal – although that was hypercritical. Solid stop to deny Virgil van Dijk after the hour.

Kyle Walker: 7

Looked fresh after some heavy-handed displays and bombed at times in the first half despite his role on the right of the back three. The last attack on Cody Gakpo was accurate.

John’s Stones: 7

Strong in possession of the ball. He appears to have benefited from regular game time after rarely featuring for Manchester City in recent months.

Marc Guehi: 6

He returned to the team after a suspension prevented him from playing against Switzerland. He had the unenviable task of setting up big man Wout Weghorst after the break.

Bukayo Saka: 7

Sharp in the first half, winning tackles, making runs and dribbling proficiently. Less impact after the break, he had a goal disallowed for offside and received a yellow card.

Declan rice: 6

He lost possession of the ball with Simons’ first goal, but grew in the game, cleaning up when necessary. Bad pass when Kane was free midway through the second half.

Kobbie Mainoo: 8

He was the youngest England player to play in a major tournament semi-final, at 19 years and 82 days, and went on a rampage in the first half. Big breakthroughs, vital attacks and his interaction with Foden was a joy.

Kieran Trippier: 6

We all already know he’s playing out of position, so again he was limited attackingly and reliable defensively. Replaced at half-time by the more natural Shaw.

Phil Foden: 7

The first 45 minutes were by far their best half of the tournament. I thought he had scored when his shot was deflected by Denzel Dumfries and hit the post with a crunch. But he was then surprisingly replaced.

Jude Bellingham: 5

Back to the place where he made his name but struggled to make much of an impact in his old stomping ground. Fortunately, he wasn’t the one who was replaced.

Harry Kane: 6

He won and dispatched the penalty to become the tournament’s top scorer with three goals. He looked more mobile initially, but was still very tired after the break and was withdrawn.

SUBS

Luke Shaw (for Kieran Trippier, half-time): 6

It felt safe for a man who had been away for so long.

Ollie Watkins (for Harry Kane, 81): 9 and STAR MAN

Surprisingly, given Ivan Toney’s endorsement as a replacement striker as Southgate looked for more pace at the back. Brilliant finish from the corner to win the game – you couldn’t ask for more from him.

Cole Palmer (for Phil Foden, 81): 7

He had his big chance in the final minutes, but shot horribly wide – but then set up Watkins for his wonderful winner.

Gareth Southgate: 8

His switch to a back three against Switzerland helped them win there, and here his team finally played some great football in the first half. The team collapsed again as the game progressed and you feared the worst – but it has to be said that his decision to sign Ollie Watkins was a masterstroke.