by Ben Ayuko
{image by SkySports}
Spain will meet England in the Final of the European Championship 2024. This will be more than just a game of football. It will be a clash of nations, a clash of ideologies, a gauntlet for the whole footballing world to judge.
La Roja will be looking to cap off their, otherwise perfect, tournament, having reached the final by winning every single game (6) they played while conceding just 3 goals. They have graced the tournament with their classic Spanish flair that reminded of us of their period of dominance in the early 2010s. With veteran Dani Carvajal having served his suspension in the semi-final, their squad will be back to its strongest level, save for Pedri who remains sidelined after his clash with, now retired, Toni Kroos.
The 3 Lions will be looking to show that they deserve to be victors, especially after they stumbled on penalties in the last Euros Final. They have come through the tournament in direct contrasting fashion to Spain. Whereas Spain have always looked like the assured winners in every game they have played, England have always looked very unsure of how to play their game. Of the 2 sides, Spain definitely had the harder draw, playing the likes of Croatia and Italy in their group stage, and then progressing to the likes of Germany and France in the knockouts. And in every single game, it is only Germany who made them go the distance. England could only manage 1 win in their group stage and very nearly went out in the knockout rounds against Slovenia and then against Switzerland, needing some late heroics in both games, including penalties in the latter, to stay their course.
If it is a question of who deserves to lift the trophy, the answer, without a shadow of a doubt, is obviously England. Okay I’m joking, but how scandalized were you? No, Spain has, by far and away, been the best team at the tournament thus far. It is rare that a team plays the most entertaining football while also dispatching all of the other tournament favourites so effortlessly. If it came down to vote, it wouldn’t even be close.
But in life, one rarely gets what they deserve. Therefore, the victor of this tournament will simply be the one who wants it more. The one who is willing to risk losing anything to gain everything.
It is sure to be a memorable occasion.