EURO 2024 - England vs Spain: Waiting for the historic final
Báo Thanh niên•12/07/2024
The big milestone that will change the history of European football will appear after the EURO 2024 final. But what history will it be? The answer, of course, depends on the result: England or Spain lift the Henri Delaunay Cup.
First time, or fourth time?
England is the only football team that has won the world championship but never won the championship in their own continent. England has never been so close to the glory of winning the EURO as they are now. Of course, they reached the final of EURO 2020 and lost miserably on penalties. But now it must be affirmed that England has gone further, because coach Gareth Southgate and many current players have learned valuable experience. In fact, there have been many important changes when the England team was very well prepared for this year's tournament. Even though many people feel disappointed with the image that Southgate and his team have shown since the beginning of the tournament, it is actually a big change that Southgate proactively applied. He chose "results", if faced with the question of choosing between results and "beauty".
GRAPHICS: NGUYEN HAI NAM
For the first time in history, the home of football has won the EURO - it is certainly an emotional wait for English football fans. But if it is not the case, then the historical milestone will appear at the opposite extreme. The Spanish team will take the record for the most EURO championships. This record is shared between Spain and Germany. France were also looking to catch up when they all took to the starting line. But Spain directly eliminated both of their opponents from the game. Winning the final, Spain will become the only team to have won the EURO four times. And it will certainly be the most convincing championship, when one of the top 5 football powers in Europe is crowned by directly defeating the remaining 4 football powers. England has never been afraid of Spain on the EURO arena. They first met in the group stage of EURO 1980 and England won 2-1, although both were eliminated. At EURO 1996, the two sides drew for 120 minutes, and it was a rare occasion that England did not lose in a penalty shootout (in 7 penalty shootouts at EURO and World Cup before 2018, England lost 6, only winning against Spain).
The Triumph of Contrast
At this point, Spain is the favorite. If this were a performance-based sport (like athletics or swimming), it would be 80% certain that the favorite would win. But football is a competitive sport. Winning in football does not necessarily mean the team that plays better. Assuming both sides are similar in their views and playing styles, the favorite might have the upper hand (but it is not certain that they will win). However, the playing styles of England and Spain are very contrasting. The hopes of lifting the trophy are therefore completely balanced before the ball rolls in the final.
Coach Southgate and the England team face a big challenge named Spain
Throughout history, English and Spanish football have been contrasting, due to obvious differences in geography, culture, and people. Spanish football, even when considered the "king of the qualifying round", has always focused on technique, limited the competition for strength, and disliked aerial ball disputes. English football has been labeled as "running and shooting" for decades, ridiculed for its technique, specializing only in crossing and heading the ball. In a place where it is cold and windy all year round, basic football exercises for young players in the foggy country have to focus on movement (everyone runs together to keep warm), limiting demonstration practice (the whole team stands still to watch a player perform a technical move). The Spanish people are shorter, live in a warmer place, and have a different way of life, so it is understandable that they play football differently.
The Spanish team entered the final with convincing victories.
REUTERS
So waiting for the EURO final is not only waiting to see if a great record will appear to honor English or Spanish football, but also waiting to see which school of thought will win. England's cautious and calculating style of play will confront the flamboyance and naturalness of Spain's style of play. The experience and sophistication of coach Gareth Southgate (who has led England to 4 major tournaments - all successfully with 1 quarter-final, 1 semi-final, 2 finals) will clash with the pedantry of coach Luis de la Fuente in his first time leading the Spanish team to a major tournament (Fuente is trusted by the Spanish Football Federation mainly because he has worked for this federation for many years). Although it is impossible to say in advance which side will win, it will certainly be a victory of contrast.
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