Ollie Watkins shoots England into their first final outside the United Kingdom. The 28-year-old is the unexpected hero who never thought he would be in the national team spotlight.
There is no hermetically sealed interview zone in the winding corridors of the Dortmund stadium, which is called the "BVB Stadion" at this European Championship without sponsorship. A simple fence with a blue banner separates the common fans from the footballers when they stand in front of the throng of media representatives.
So when Marc Guéhi, Harry Kane, Phil Foden and Declan Rice stroll through the media zone on this Wednesday evening, which saw the England national team advance to their first final outside the United Kingdom thanks to a 2:1 victory in the semi-final against the Netherlands, they see a multitude of microphones and cameras stretched out towards them, but they also hear "Don't take me home" and "It's coming home", which the England fans are still intoning with fervor almost two hours after the final whistle.
Third extra time averted
The two fan songs, which cater to two English yearnings - namely that a wonderful moment should last forever and that England will finally be successful at a major tournament again and football will "come home" - form the soundscape of an evening on which the Three Lions came one step closer to satisfying these yearnings.
Thanks in part to a player who no one would have picked as the hero of the match. But with his 91st-minute goal, Ollie Watkins became exactly that - the celebrated winner who not only paved the way for his team to reach the final, but also spared them a third exhausting extra time at this European Championship.
Strong season for Aston Villa
The Aston Villa striker had played just 20 minutes in Germany up to that point. In the second group game against Denmark (1:1), the 28-year-old came on the pitch in the final phase. However, his services were no longer required against Slovenia, Slovakia or Switzerland. Something that frustrated him, Watkins admits. Next to him is the trophy for best player in this European Championship semi-final.
It is further proof of how close frustration and joy can be in the emotionally charged business of football. Watkins can look back on the most successful season of his career. He scored an impressive 27 goals and 13 assists for Aston Villa. Nevertheless, in Gareth Southgate's system, there is usually no more room in the national team up front than for captain Harry Kane. "Ollie stayed ready and trained very well every day," says the coach. "I'm very happy for him, he scored that goal."
The news from friends
The much-criticized Southgate can praise himself after this match for not only substituting the scorer of the winning goal, but also the preparer. Watkins came on the pitch in the 81st minute together with Chelsea's Cole Palmer. He told him during the break: "We'll both come on and you'll set up my goal," said Watkins. "It's incredible that it turned out like that."
Watkins made his debut for the national team just over three years ago. However, he was not a constant in Southgate's team. In Dortmund, he made only his 14th appearance in an England shirt. And scored arguably the most important goal of his career. "I don't think I've ever hit a ball as well as that one," said Watkins, grinning at his precise low shot into the far corner of the goal.
It obviously seems unreal to him that he has become a major figure on this evening. "I never thought I'd be playing for England at a European Championship," he says and, after talking to Palmer, recounts another episode of a prophecy come true. Before the game, he had received a lot of messages from friends predicting that he would score a goal.
"Maybe they can do the same for the final - and tell me which lottery numbers I should bet on."
SDA
