England are looking to end their long wait for a major international tournament victory when they face an exceptional Spain team in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday. The highly anticipated match at the Olympiastadion in Berlin will kick off at 9:00 pm (1900 GMT), concluding a month of intense football action.
Spain, featuring teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, have been the standout team of the tournament, winning all six matches en route to the final. They have eliminated several of Europe’s top teams and are aiming to become European champions for a record fourth time, having previously won in 1964, 2008, and 2012.
England, on the other hand, have had a more challenging path. They often struggled against lesser opposition but produced their best performance yet in the semi-finals, defeating the Netherlands 2-1 with Ollie Watkins scoring the decisive goal. This victory secured their place in the final, marking their second consecutive European Championship final appearance. England are eager to overcome the memory of their penalty shoot-out loss to Italy in the last edition’s final, three years ago.
If Gareth Southgate’s team wins, it will be their first major title in 58 years, since the 1966 World Cup victory on home soil. Southgate emphasized the importance of this match, stating, “We know that we have to do this one, we have to get this trophy to really feel the respect of the rest of the football world.”
England has faced near misses in recent years, with a semi-final finish at the 2018 World Cup, a Euro 2020 final loss, and a quarter-final exit in the 2022 World Cup. Led by Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, they arrived in Germany as top contenders but faced difficulties in the group stage, winning just once against Serbia and scoring only two goals. They required Bellingham’s late heroics to overcome Slovakia in the last 16 and needed penalties to defeat Switzerland and narrowly edged out the Netherlands.
Spain, under coach Luis de la Fuente, represents England’s biggest challenge yet. The sides last met in a major tournament at Euro 96, where England, with Southgate as a player, won on penalties in the quarter-finals. Kane noted, “The belief has grown as we’ve gone through the tournament. What we have been through with the late goals and the penalty shoot-outs builds resilience and builds belief.”
Spain’s new generation has led them to their first major tournament final since their triumphs in Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup, and Euro 2012. With stars like Rodri Hernandez, Nico Williams, and the 17-year-old Yamal, Spain has dazzled in an otherwise lackluster tournament. They won all their group games without conceding a goal and defeated 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Croatia and reigning European champions Italy. They beat hosts Germany in extra time in the quarter-finals and came from behind to beat France in the semi-finals, thanks to a stunning goal from Yamal.
Coach De la Fuente emphasized, “Tomorrow is when I will ask the least of my team. They have been giving everything. Tomorrow is simply about enjoying it.” He expects a closely contested match, saying, “It really is just little details that decide matches like these. The team that makes the fewest mistakes has more chances of winning.”
Spain will welcome back right-back Dani Carvajal and central defender Robin Le Normand, who missed the semi-final due to suspension. England is expected to remain unchanged, with Kane leading the attack and Watkins likely starting on the bench despite his semi-final heroics.
Reports suggest that England fans could make up a significant portion of the crowd at the 71,000-capacity Olympiastadion, despite both finalists only receiving an official allocation of 10,000 tickets each. The Olympiastadion also hosted the 2006 World Cup final, where Italy triumphed over France on penalties.
