England head coach Gareth Southgate saw the funny side after the Netherlands cancelled a press conference on the eve of their Uefa Euro 2024 semi-final against the Three Lions.
Transport complications forced Oranje to change plans and make a late departure for Dortmund, where they will attempt to become the first team to beat England at the finals.
Head coach Ronald Koeman and Manchester City defender Nathan Ake will not speak to the media as scheduled on Tuesday evening because their train from to Dortmund was cancelled.
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Netherlands v England: Semi-final in Dortmund
The 1988 champions had been travelling from their tournament base in Wolfsburg, where they have been training at the AOK Stadion.
They will now fly to Dortmund as a result of a blockage on part of the train track they were set to travel upon to reach the city.
Asked what he would do in a similar predicament at a press conference earlier in the day, Southgate replied: “If it did happen, I would stay calm and keep everything under control.”
Speaking at Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park, where the game will be played, Southgate quipped: “I suppose they can get a meal here late tonight. The game’s not until nine o’clock tomorrow night.”
England v Netherlands: Kane ‘prepared’
In the first semi-final of the tournament on Tuesday, Spain and France are playing for the right to meet England or the Netherlands in the final in Berlin on Sunday.
“From a team point of view, we know what we need to achieve,” said England captain Harry Kane, who answered questions alongside Southgate.
“We have a really important game, a really tough game which we need to be ready for. We’ve prepared for that.”
England could reach a second successive Euro final, having lost on penalties to Italy in the decider of the 2020 edition at Wembley.
“Some will use [the pressure] as motivation,” said Kane. “Some will just block it out and focus on what they need to do. Everyone’s different.”
