And so it ends. An almost entirely forgettable European Championships is graced, as it should be, with a Final between the two best teams.
The two teams could not have had more different routes to the Final of Euro 2024.
Spain eased through their group. A 3-0 win - thanks to a first half demolition of Croatia - back on match day one put them on top of Group B where they remained, thanks to wins over Italy (1-0) and bottom team Albania (1-0). A straight-forward 4-1 thrashing of Georgia took them to the quarter finals where they beat hosts Germany 2-1 and eased past France by the same score in the semi final.
England’s journey has been longer and more complicated. It’s taken nearly sixty years of hurt, angst, anxiety, desperation, tears, frustration and, ultimately, the nagging, unshakeable feeling that this year, finally, it might be our turn. It never has been, though. But, this time..?
Teams
Who knows what surprises Luis de la Fuente and Gareth Southgate might pull when they hand in the team sheets before kick-off? There are few certainties. However, we know 16 year old wunderkind Lamine Yamal won’t score against England. But only because he will be 17 year old wunderkind Lamine Yamal by then. And England’s starting XI is certain to contain the five players - of any nation - who have played the most minutes in this tournament: Declan Rice, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Jordan Pickford and Jude Bellingham. In fact England have eight players who have each played more minutes than Spain’s most-used player, Unai Simón.
England’s starting XI throws up three questions. Does Kane start? Does Foden start? Is Shaw fit? Every football follower in the country would have been surprised by the first two questions and completely unsurprised by the third.
As usual, England’s prospects lean heavily on when, who and for whom Southgate makes substitutions. The plethora of talent on the bench doesn’t make his decisions any easier; and the huge number of options give ammunition to armchair pundits around the country to thor brickbats.
Spain Simón; Carvajal, Le Normand, Laporte, Cucurella; Ruiz, Rodri, Olmo; Yamal, Morata, Williams
England Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guéhi; Saka, Mainoo, Rice, Shaw; Bellingham, Foden; Kane
In the olden days, when England rarely made the latter stages of international competitions (and I am referring, in the main to the fifty years from 1967), you would be able to watch the game by tuning your set to BBC in plenty of time for it to warm up. This year, the game is live on BBC1, BBC iPlayer, Radio 5, BBC Sounds, ITV, itvX, or a plethora of other broadcast media. But, in reality, if you’re in charge of the remote control, you know the routine: watch it on BBC and, if the result is right, switch to ITV after the game to see Roy Keane’s mush.
Otherwise, if you haven’t saved up to get beers at the free event at the O2, or, in more genteel surroundings at the Old Naval College, then you have a choice of pubs. This thread might help.
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What’s your most vivid memory of watching England in major championships? Is it tears for heroes dressed in grey? Or one night in Rome, where we were strong, we had grown? Because it’s very likely this weekend could match the most memorable moments in cheering for St George.
Wherever you are and whoever you’re with, take a moment to capture your surroundings and who you’re with. It’s the first time our country has made the final of a major competition overseas. So it’s going to be memorable. But to make it even more so, take some time to drink in the atmosphere and emotion going on around you. Because this game is going to be one of the very few moments where everyone around you will remember where they were, for ever. In years to come, you will bump into some of the people you share the viewing experience with. You’ll meet each other’s eyes. And, without saying anything, you will be brought right back to the evening 14 July 2024. This one really matters.
But, if you see me walking down the street, staring at the sky, and dragging my two feet, you just pass me by: it still makes me cry. But football's coming home again.
Comments
Can't believe Haaland didn't score.
But then it's weird you appear to be able to bet on Gakpo etc online when he can't overtake Olmo?
Weird as 3 years ago they did:
https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/ronaldo-wins-euro-2020-golden-boot-on-tie-breaker-over-schick/wzri2apw8gef1bnfwv1uauvhf
I mean it's just clearly fake. Portugal preferring Spain to win?
Not even all of Spain would be supporting Spain
Catalonia are like the Liverpool of Spain.
As mentioned by a few others here, the Germany v Spain game gives me hope. If they were more clinical Germany should have had a couple more goals with the chances they created against them.
Spain were extremely lucky to not concede at least a couple of goals in that game.
Anyway, it's just one game and anything could happen despite Spain being the clear favourites to win. I'm never a neutral when it comes to England in these tournaments so fingers crossed for a miracle. 4 years ago I got up at 2am to watch the whole final but sadly England lost on penalties. This time I'm not going to watch it (3am KO), just to avoid jinxing England😅
Penalties we win
https://x.com/BBCSport/status/1812221738169585912
You heard it here first.