Spain vs England in Euro 2024 Final: Youngsters Shine as Two Powerhouses Clash

Aranyak Dutta

The 2024 Euros is coming to an epic end, with the semi finals already completed. After the quarter finals, the remaining teams were the Spain, France, Netherlands and England. All four teams fought their way up till this stage of “Do or Die”. The teams were now left with only 2 outcomes: either they perform well and prepare themselves for one last battle, or lose the match and the war completely. The two semi final matches were between Spain V France, and Netherlands V England.

Spain reached the semis after defeating one of the most favorite team of this campaign, Germany. They won 2-1 against them after a late minute header by Mikel Morino. Germany was having a great season in this Euros, until they faced Spain. Spain outperformed them both on paper and on the field. The Spanish team has been excellent this season. They won against all the teams they have had faced. Their attacking has been very dominant, with more than 5 goal scorers for the team.

France was not as strong as the Spaniards, but were good enough to reach the Semifinals. After defeating Portugal on penalties, their next challenge was to face Spain. When their main striker Kylian Mbappe broke his nose in the opening match, the French attack underperformed and was not able to live up to the expectations. Mbappe himself had a very poor campaign, and his injury made it even worse. However, they were good enough to defeat their opposing teams and reach the semi finals.

The first semi final match between Spain and France was a one to watch. Both teams had a very strong squad, and the strength to perform well in important matches. France started the game quickly by creating several chances. Spain got some chances too, but were not as decisive as France. Well, under 9 minutes, France was able to take the lead. With a great cross from Kylian Mbappe from the left wing, striker Kolo Muani finished it off with a cheeky header. France led the game in the semi finals. Some minutes passed, no major changes occured.

When 20 minutes were down the clock, that is when the match suddenly turned upside down. Young star Lamine Yamal had the ball on his feet. He took the ball from right to left, shot straight out of the box, and it went straight to the top corner. His teacher must have had told him to think outside the box, and he implemented it perfectly! In the age of 16, Yamal became the youngest ever player to score in UEFA Euro Semi Final. And the way to hit that record was astonishing. This crucial goal levelled up the game.

Spain did not stop there, as after 4 minutes, they scored again. Dani Olmo was the scorer this time. He took the ball towards the right flank and took a cheeky shot, which got deflected towards the goal after hitting defender Joules Kounde. This goal was enough to help Spain reach the Finals, since 2012. France had many chances, but were never converted successfully. This ended their campaign of the Euro 2024. What a great match it was. Spain showed their class once again. Despite pressure from media and fans, Lamine Yamal kept his head cool and showed his impressive potential in such a crucial match for his team! Not just that, the entire Spanish team had a great chemistry in the entire match, which helped them to reach the final battle of the season.

Spain’s opponent for the final was decided in the next match, between Netherlands and England.

Holland had a great campaign. With the guidance of new manager Ronald Koeman, the team was able to fight their way up to the semi finals. Even though the team had some important players injured, Like Frenkie De Jong and Matthijs De Ligt, the team maintained their spirit and showed how good they are. With the mixture of both young and experienced players, The Netherlands displayed their strength throughout the campaign.

Meanwhile, the England National Team was facing a lot of criticism, because of poor team management under Gareth Southgate. People feel that the team is very good but due to bad managing, the players underperform. Well, if the management has been poor, then the glory days of England football team must be questioned as well. With the likes of David Beckham, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes and so many other legends back in the days, England was never able to reach a single final!

Under Gareth Southgate, the English team reached the final in the last Euros, and even finished fourth in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. So many statistics prove that Southgate has done a much better job than the previous managers of the English team. This campaign has been no different either, with them already reaching the semi finals and rooting for a consecutive final appearance. Some may think Southgate is lucky, but his work needs to be appreciated as well.

The match between Netherlands and England was a bit one sided. England was a better side overall, but both teams were equally dominant in attack. Even though chances were being created from both ends, it was Netherlands who opened the score line under 10 minutes. It was Xavi Simons who scored a great goal from a difficult range.  What a strike it was from outside the box, a thunderous shot from the young man.

The game was getting quite tense ever since that goal. After some time, Harry Kane took a great chance inside the box, but missed. While he took that shot, a Netherlands defender tackled him abruptly, that awarded England a much-needed penalty to equalize the game. And without any doubt, Kane gave them the goal they needed! Much of the entire match continued with the same score line. Some significant chances were missed by England, and one of them was flagged offside as well. In the last 10 minutes, Ollie Watkins was brought into the game, who might have brought the lucky charm for the team. It was him who scored the decisive goal England in the 89^th minute. This late goal won the game for England. This meant that they reached the final once again!

England were very dominant in this match, but hats off to the Netherlands squad for such a great performance throughout this season.

The final match scheduled for 15^th July 2024 is going to be overwhelming. Although I will back Spain in the match, it will definitely be a very close fight between the two teams.

Aranyak Dutta is a Guwahati-based Football enthusiast. He has joined the Gauhati University to pursue his Undergraduate Studies.