EURO 2024, the final: Did the best teams make it?
It all comes down to this one game. Spain and England battling for eternal glory in Berlin. The 17th European champions will be crowned at the Olympiastadion. But will we see the two best teams of the tournament in action?
By cold, hard FIFA ranking, the answer would be no. The third-best and sixth-best teams in Europe will meet on Sunday night. But by common sense, yes. Germany (on the pitch) and France (on paper) might have an argument, but there is a reason both are already enjoying life on their million-dollar yachts in the Mediterranean.
In the red and yellow corner, Spain is a perfect six out of six at the tournament, which is impressive even without considering the level of their opponents (they have already defeated Croatia, Italy, Germany, and France). It has been no fluke. They have been pleasing to the eye, with endless tiki-taka again making room for a distinctively diverse style after more than a decade.
Lamine Yamal, celebrating his 17th the day before the final, has been the story of the tournament; Nico Williams, just 22, offers so much on the other flank. 38-year-old Jesus Navas, a fossil by those standards, stepped up in the semi-final to stop Kylian Mbappe. Fabian Ruiz has been irreplaceable in the middle of the park. Spain is greater than the sum of its parts.
In the red and white corner, England has not been the unstoppable scoring machine many expected. Instead, they dig deep when it matters; not once, not twice, but three times have they had their backs to the wall. They have gone behind in every knockout game so far and still finished on top. It might have started out as a weakness, but their self-belief is now sky-high.
After their respective club seasons, so much was expected from the trio of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, and Phil Foden. But Bellingham did what stars do vs Slovakia and Kane seems to pop up when it matters most. Foden is the odd man out so far; not phased by the bright lights, might this be his moment? Jordan Pickford might not be the best goalkeeper of all time, but he is certainly good enough to help England finish the job.
Will Spain triumph for a fourth time after 1964, 2008, and 2012 to become the most successful nation at the European Championships or will England win their first trophy at their second attempt, making amends for heartbreak just three years and three days ago?
All times listed below are in Eastern European Summer Time (GMT+3).
Spain – England
Sunday, July 14th 22:00
Spain has met England six times at major tournaments, with their sole win coming at the 1950 World Cup; at the EUROs, they are 0/4 vs England. But this Spain team is about looking towards the future, not the past. They press high up, more than anyone else at the tournament. They have had at least five shots on target in four of their six games. They find ways to score, and when necessary, they pass the ball around like no one else can.
Luis de la Fuente will be the third-oldest manager to take charge in an EURO final, yet he is the perfect man for the job. Unlike most managers, he has not had a headline club job. Since 2013, de la Fuente has worked his way up the Spanish FA ranks, already winning the U-19 (2015) and U-21 (2019 European Championships. Can he make it three out of three?
England has never contested a major tournament final outside of Wembley as both the 1966 World Cup final and the EURO 2020 final were played there. They have never lost in Berlin (4W 2D) though. England has been defensively sound, conceding just 13 goals in their last 20 matches; attack will win matches while defence…
Gareth Southgate will be the third manager to contest more than one EURO final after German heavyweights Helmut Schön and Berti Vogts; both won and lost one. Southgate played 120 minutes when the nations last met at a major tournament, with England winning the EURO 1996 quarter-final on penalties.
Player to watch for Spain: “In Spain it’s hard for me to be happy.” The words of team captain Alvaro Morata hurt on a personal level. A striker once destined for greatness at Real Madrid, the 31-year-old has become a figure of ridicule despite providing consistent scoring everywhere. If this turns out to be his last bow for Spain, he will want to silence his critics once and for all.
Player to watch for England: His midfield partner Kobbie Mainoo has earned plenty of (justified) praise, but Declan Rice is the glue keeping England in balance. They are happy to have opponents pressing high up on the pitch because Rice thrives in those situations. He has more touches and completed passes than any other player under pressure, while he has also made seven line-breaking passes that lead to a shot within ten seconds. He is the player making them tick.
