England handed Netherlands tie in UEFA Nations League semi-finals

England will face the Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League semi-finals, with Portugal taking on Switzerland.

The Three Lions booked their place in the last-four with a dramatic victory over Croatia in their final outing of the group stage.

Gareth Southgate’s side had trailed in that contest before staging a stirring late fightback.

Jesse Lingard netted 12 minutes from time to set up a thrilling finish, with Harry Kane sending Wembley into raptures as he poked home in the 85th minute.

A 2-1 win was enough to see England edge above Spain and to the top of Group 4 in the League A section.

Having reached the semi-finals of the World Cup finals in Russia over the summer, before coming up short against Croatia, the Three Lions will be hoping to go at least one step further in 2019.

Southgate’s side will tackle the Netherlands on June 6.

They will already be aware of their potential final foes by the time they take to the field, with Portugal facing Switzerland 24 hours earlier.

England’s game will be played in Guimaraes, while the hosts will clash with the Swiss at Estadio do Dragao in Porto.

Southgate could be forgiven for feeling that he has been handed the toughest draw, with the Three Lions not boasting the best of records against Dutch opposition.

In 21 previous meetings between the two nations, England have collected just six wins to go with nine draws and six defeats.

They have fared better against the Portuguese, emerging victorious in 10 of 23 games, and the Swiss, winning 17 of their 25 meetings.

The Three Lions did, however, claim the spoils in their last clash with the Netherlands, with Lingard grabbing the winner during a friendly date in March.

The Dutch were still reeling at failing to reach the 2018 World Cup at that point, but impressed during their Nations League run to top a group which included Germany and reigning world champions France.

Portugal, meanwhile, went unbeaten through their four fixtures in Group 3 to see off the challenge of Italy and Poland.

They will be hoping to have Cristiano Ronaldo back at their disposal before the Nations League finals take place, with the Juventus superstar having removed himself from contention for a place in recent squads.

Whoever reaches the final next summer will battle for the trophy on June 9, with a third-place play-off being staged on the same day.