Watch: Xavi Simons scores screamer vs England to shush critics in ...

Euro 2024: Netherland midfielder Xavi Simons left the entirety of the England backline bamboozled with his thunderous long-range strike, that gave his side an early lead in the Euro 2024 semi-final on July 11. Xavi was at the end of a lot of criticism for not being able to convert goals.

Xavi Simons scored a screamer to put Netherland 1-0 up vs England. (Photo: AP)

Netherland's young midfielder Xavi Simons shushed all his critics in quite an emphatic fashion, after giving his side an early lead in their Euro 2024 semi-final clash against England on July 11 with a ridiculous long-range goal. The Harry Kane-led Three Lions were left completely stunned as Xavi's shot from 21 meters out in the 7th minute, beat Jordan Pickford and glided into the top-left corner of the England goal.

Simons has been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism after having a silent Euro 2024 campaign in the Oranje shirt, all until the ever-crucial semi-final clash. Despite getting a lot of flak for their slow-natured gameplay since the start of the competition, both sides started off on a clear attacking foot. The match only continued the trend of Gareth Southgate's England conceding first in most of their high-value Euro 2024 matches.

NED vs ENG, Euro 2024 semi-final: Live

Irrespective of the earlier criticisms, Xavi has been a silent hero for Ronald Koeman's Netherlands side as he still holds the joint-top spot in the assists leaderboard alongside Spain's Lamine Yamal, with 3 contributions to his name. The 21-year-old has been a long-budded prodigy since his early days at FC Barcelona, but the hype around the Dutchman has died down since his underwhelming move to Paris Saint-Germain.

However, the Netherlands could not enjoy the lead for long after a raised boot challenge from Denzel Dumfries saw Harry Kane receive a penalty, and then brought the scores level in the 18th minute of the game.