EURO 2024: England, Spain's final hurdle to completing an impeccable tournament

How many people predicted that Spain and England would go head-to-head in the Euro 2024 final? When Europe's top competition at the national team level kicked off, few thought the “Three Lions” would make it to the finals. And even fewer thought “La Roja” would be there too. However, both national teams have managed to defy the odds and will fight for the title at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin this Sunday.

Spain is the big favorite, especially given the impeccable record they have achieved at this European Championship. England will have to play just as well as they did in the first half of the semifinals against the Netherlands to have a chance of winning against an opponent that has proven to be superior.

Spain will finish off a practically perfect European Championship

There has been no better team in this European Championship than Spain. It is undeniable. The Spanish team has proven any critics wrong who doubted they had what it takes at the beginning of the European Championship. Spain has never lost or tied. The Spanish national team has been on a winning streak, making them the favorite going into the final. They are going after their fourth European title.

Since the start of the European Championship, Spain has shown its cards. In the group stage, the Spanish team defeated Croatia (3-0), Italy (1-0) and Albania (1-0) without giving up a single goal. They dominated in the Round of 16 against Georgia (4-1), and they went on to beat Germany (2-1) and one of the big favorites, France (2-1).

In total, the team coached by Luis de la Fuente has given up a total of three goals and has scored 13. These goals were scored by nine different players: Dani Olmo, with three goals; Fabián Ruiz, with two; Álvaro Morata, Dani Carvajal, Mikel Merino, Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, Rodri and Ferrán Torres, with one each. The thirteenth goal was scored by Italian player Riccardo Calafiori when he accidentally put the ball into his own net. 

England: The first half against the Netherlands

England needed six games to prove that they could become one of the best teams. They need to play just like they did in the first half against the Netherlands in the semifinals if they want to beat Spain and take home what would be their first European Championship title. So far, England has only managed to be the runner-up once, when they lost in the last Euro Cup against Italy.

Coach Gareth Southgate has been widely criticized for the decisions he has made throughout the competition. Fortunately, he has managed to take England to the final. In the group stage, the English team advanced five points after beating Serbia (1-0) and tying against Denmark (1-1) and Slovenia (0-0). In the round of 16, they beat Slovakia by the narrowest of margins (2-1) and, in the quarterfinals, they needed to defeat Switzerland (1-1) on penalties to qualify. The Netherlands was their final victim in the semifinals (2-1).

Harry Kane scored three goals; Jude Bellingham scored two; Bukayo Saka and Ollie Watkins each scored one. England managed to score seven goals and gave up four in the six games they played.