UEFA Euro 2024: Spain vs England preview – Who will win the final?
Spain are seeking a record fourth European Championship title when they face an England side still awaiting their first, Al Jazeera reports.
The Spanish will become the outright record winners of the competition, moving clear of Germany, if they lift the trophy for the fourth time, while the English will be crowned continental champions for the first time if they come out on top.
Spain have enjoyed a remarkable run to the final, having already created history with a 100 percent record from their six games, and are clear favourites in the run-up to the match. England, in contrast, have stuttered, spluttered and dragged themselves from the brink of elimination to reach the showpiece in the German capital, Berlin.
With victories in 1964, 2008 and 2012 already behind them – along with a 2010 World Cup win – the Spanish can enter the match without fear of failure, while boasting a form book that is fluttering freely. They swept through their group without conceding a goal and have rarely looked challenged in the knockout stages despite being pitted against the host nation, Germany and the pretournament favourites, France.
Only Georgia caused a momentary hint of an upset for Spanish fans, when they had the audacity to take the lead in the round-of-16 encounter – Spain swept to a 4-1 win and it could have been double that in the end.
Among those to shine against the Georgians was Lamine Yamal, now a household name the world over. The Barcelona winger could have had a hat-trick in that match but saved his first tournament goal to level the semifinal against the French, which wrote him into the history books as the youngest goalscorer at a European Championship. Saturday marked his 17th birthday.
Spain’s Lamine Yamal during training before the Euro 2024 final against England in Berlin, Germany [Robin Rudel/Reuters]
Are England finding form just in time for Spain showdown?
After a limp display of one win and two draws in their group, England were seconds away from elimination in the round of 16 against Slovenia before Jude Bellingham’s last-gasp overhead kick took the tie to extra time. Harry Kane settled matters without the need for penalties.
Gareth Southgate’s side were pushed all the way to spot kicks by Switzerland, when Bukayo Saka was among the heroes and banished the memories of his miss in the Euro 2020 final defeat by Italy.
That is the closest England have previously come to a Euro crown, but they have had their moments, including on home soil in 1996 when they agonisingly lost their semifinal on penalties to Germany having been the better side in open play.
On their way to the last four in that edition, they beat Spain on penalties following a goalless draw in the quarterfinals. They also produced one of their most memorable performances since winning the 1966 World Cup – their only major international trophy – when they beat Netherlands 4-1 in the group stage.
It was against the Dutch, in the semifinals, that they produced their most stirring performance at this edition. The first-half display was comprehensive, while Netherlands produced a more obdurate response in the second period. That nearly wore down Southgate’s team but, with extra-time looming, Ollie Watkins came off the bench to score a deserved injury-time winner.
There is little to no doubt that England possess the potential as a team to overcome Spain in the final but that is based on the quality of the individuals at Southgate’s disposal.
Should the England manager get a song out of his stars then football may well be “coming home” and 58 years of hurt will come to an end with only a second piece of international silverware for the nation heralded with the greatest domestic league in the world.
