BERLIN: A brilliant Spain team featuring teenage sensation Lamine Yamal stands between England and a first major men’s international trophy in almost 60 years in Sunday’s Euro 2024 final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
Spain have been the outstanding side at this European Championship, their run to the final taking in wins against title-holders Italy, hosts Germany and pre-tournament favourites France.
England, in contrast, have laboured their way to Berlin, going four straight games without winning inside 90 minutes before a stunning last-minute strike by Ollie Watkins gave them a 2-1 semi-final victory over the Netherlands.
But a team led by Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane contains enough match-winners to believe it can go toe to toe with Spain and end England’s wait for glory which goes back to the 1966 World Cup.
Unlike the country’s women, who won their equivalent competition two years ago, England’s men have never won the European Championship.
– Back-to-back Euros finals –
This, however, is their second straight continental final after their agonising defeat on penalties against Italy in 2021, and the memory of that will help drive them on in their first ever final on foreign soil.
“Seeing Italy lift that trophy will haunt me forever,“ midfielder Declan Rice told the BBC.
“We are now presented with another opportunity where we can write our own history but we are up against another top side who we have to massively respect.”
England produced their best football at the tournament against the Dutch in Dortmund, even if they needed a controversial Kane penalty to cancel out Xavi Simons’ opener before substitute Watkins won it at the death.
Since beating Serbia 1-0 in their first game, Gareth Southgate’s side have been ahead in normal time for a combined total of about 20 minutes across five matches.
They had unconvincing draws with Denmark and Slovenia before overcoming Slovakia in extra time in the last 16, only after being rescued by a Bellingham bicycle kick in injury time.
They came from behind against Switzerland in the last eight before progressing on penalties, but the Dutch performance should give them real belief.
“We’ve come here to win. We play the team who’ve been the best team in the tournament and we have a day less to prepare so it’s a huge task,“ admitted Southgate, whose future beyond Sunday’s final is currently uncertain.
– Spanish revival –
Spain’s form means they are the favourites going into the first meeting of the nations at either a World Cup or Euros since 1996.
While England have consistently reached the latter stages of tournaments under Southgate, Euro 2024 has confirmed the revival of the nation that dominated international football just over a decade ago.
La Roja won back-to-back European Championships in 2008 and 2012, either side of their triumph at the 2010 World Cup.
They didn’t win another knockout game at a tournament until a run to the semi-finals of Euro 2020, but that was followed by a last-16 exit at the last World Cup.
However, Luis de la Fuente then became coach and has overseen a remarkable run of results.
Spain won the UEFA Nations League last year and started their Euros campaign by thumping 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Croatia 3-0 in Berlin.
They outclassed Italy and should have won by more than a 1-0 margin on their way to ending the group stage as the only team with maximum points and no goals conceded.
The knockout rounds have seen them ease past Georgia before coming through gruelling tests against Germany in Stuttgart and then France on Tuesday in Munich, where Yamal became the youngest ever Euros goal-scorer, aged 16 years and 362 days.
With Yamal, 17 on Saturday, on one wing, Nico Williams on the other, and Dani Olmo supporting Alvaro Morata through the middle, Spain have an attack that has scored 13 goals en route to the final, compared to England’s seven.
De la Fuente can also call on the world’s outstanding holding midfielder in Rodri, but Spain remain wary of their opponents.
“England have shown so far that they can come back in games when they’ve started losing,“ Olmo said on Friday as Spain target lifting the Henri Delaunay trophy for a record fourth time.
“They are a team that never gives up, that’s for sure.”
Defenders Dani Carvajal and Robin Le Normand both missed Spain’s semi-final win over France due to suspension but are set to return for the final, which will be refereed by Frenchman Francois Letexier.
