"Pure silk" - Rio Ferdinand praises England duo's first-half showing in Euro 2024 SF against the Netherlands

Rio Ferdinand has lauded England stars Kobbie Mainoo and Phil Foden's performances in the first half of the Euro 2024 semi-final against the Netherlands. The match ended in a 2-1 win for the Three Lions at Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund on Wednesday (July 10).

The Netherlands took the lead with midfielder Xavi Simons' goal in the seventh minute. The Three Lions' equalizer came in the 18th minute as Harry Kane converted a penalty that was awarded following Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries' foul on the England captain.

English forward Ollie Watkins netted the winning goal (90+1') with an assist by Cole Palmer. With this win, the Three Lions qualified for the Euro 2024 final.

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand took to social media and hailed Kobbie Mainoo and Phil Foden's gameplay in the first half of the semi-final. The pundit made a post on X (formerly Twitter) that read:

"Kobbie + Foden pure silk…."

The Three Lions will play against Spain in the tournament's final on Sunday (July 14) at Olympiastadion in Berlin. They have been runners-up in the UEFA European Championship in 2021 and finished third in 1968 and 1996. Spain, on the other hand, have won it thrice, the last one being in 2012.

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Rio Ferdinand on Gareth Southgate after England's Euro 2024 semi-final win

The Three Lions finished the Euro 2024 group stage as Group C toppers with five points. They won one game and drew two. They beat Slovakia 2-1 in the Round of 16 before defeating Switzerland 5-3 on penalties in the quarter-finals.

Gareth Southgate has received criticism for his decisions despite England's successful journey in this year's tournament. Following the win over the Netherlands in the semi-final, Rio Ferdinand backed the 53-year-old English head coach and said (via @FIVEUK):

"Southgate needs huge flowers, he needs to be given the respect he deserves. In this tournament, he has got every single substitution correct. Every game he's made a substitution, the player has come on and impacted the game, from the first game to the last two-three minutes of this game."

Gareth Southgate has become the first manager to lead the Three Lions to two major tournament finals while also being the first to take the team to a final outside of England.