By: Emily Wang
On July 14, the Euro 2024 Finals between Spain and England were held in Berlin, Germany. After an uneventful halftime, with the score still being 0 – 0, neither side could score a successful goal. However, soon things would get interesting.
Mere moments after the second half began, 22-year-old Spanish soccer player Nico Williams (#11), scored the first goal against England. Spain could have won the game in the second half by 2-0, or even 3-0, with Spanish players Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal both having a decent chance of scoring.
However, England’s hopes were not completely diminished. Instead, they retaliated thanks to substitute Cole Palmer, an English soccer player (#20) and reignited the chance to win the Euro finals for the first time, with a shot into the bottom corner of the goal. However, a late goal in the 86th minute by 27-year-old Spanish soccer player Mikel Oyarzabal (#21) of the match secured Spain’s victory against England. This victory marked Spain’s 4th time in a row winning the finals and further elongating England’s record of 56 years without any major soccer tournament victories.
Spain made it to the quarterfinals easily, being the only one in their group to be able to win the group stage with 3 wins. England, however, struggled immensely to get there. Out of 6 games, they won 2 without going to overtime. However, in the quarterfinals against Germany, Sapin did require extra time. Many fans have blamed manager Gareth Southgate, putting him under lots of pressure about England always being uninteresting and defensive all the time.
Some have compared England to one of Spain’s quarter final opponents, France. Here are some of the similarities mentioned include:
- Both teams struggled to score in their matches.
- Fans say their games are uninteresting to watch.
- They both made it to the recent quarterfinals.
- They both had good to great results. in?
- Both have talented squads.
England’s performance reached its peak in the game against the Dutch, having won 2 -1, but still they could not match Spain’s performance. In a final one-match game between two powers in the sport of soccer, England was the crowd favorite, but Spain still had the advantage against England. King Charles said to the English players: “Please know that your success in reaching the European Championship final is a great achievement in itself and one that brings with it the pride of a nation that will continue to roar for the Three Lions today – and in the many triumphs which I have no doubt lie ahead.”
England has now set their sight on the next opportunity: qualifying for the next World Cup in 2026.
Image Credit by The Gaze.com