La Roja Reigns
Photo Credit: Euronews.com
On Sunday, the finals for the UEFA European Championship and Copa América concluded. After weeks of pool and elimination play, Spain triumphed in the 2024 Euros. Spain dominated the tournament to take home their fourth-ever Euro title, and their first since 2012.
It was a record-setting performance for Spain. Not only did they become the first team to win six matches in a single Euro, but also set the record for most individual goal-scorers (10), most consecutive games with a goal scored (12), and had the youngest goal-scorer in Euro history in Lamine Yamal, who was 16 at the start of the tournament. They began play with a dominant 3-0 victory over Croatia, netting all three goals in the first half. They won each of their next two group stage matches by a score of 1-0, first over the defending champions, Italy, and then Albania. In the Italy match in particular, the La Roja defense shined, allowing only one shot on target. The only goal of the match, remarkably, was an own goal by Italy’s Riccardo Calafiori in the 55th minute. Against Albania, Ferran Torres scored in the 13th minute, and Spain held on for the rest of the match to seal a trip to the Round of 16.
Their first elimination game was against Georgia, which Spain won handily. Four different Spaniards scored, and Georgia’s lone goal came off the foot of Spain’s Robin Le Normand. Otherwise, Georgia did not have a single shot on target. Spain had possession for an astounding 76% of the game. The next three matches would prove to not be as easy. In the Quarter-final against Germany, right back Dani Carvajal drew a red card in a foul-heavy game but La Roja held on to defeat Germany 2-1 in extra time. After Dani Olmo broke the scoring drought in the 51st minute, German attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz equalized in the 89th. Then, Mikel Merino found the net in extra time off a header, assisted by Olmo. Against the powerful French, Spain once again held off a powerful opponent, defeating France 2-1. France surged for an early lead, as Randal Kolo Muani headed in a goal in the ninth minute. But, Spain was quick to respond, netting back-to-back goals in the 21st and 25th minute. The first of which was a remarkable strike from outside the box by the wunderkind Yamal.
By defeating France, Spain earned themselves a ticket to Berlin to take on England in the Euro Final. It was a tightly contested match throughout; the game was zero apiece through the first 45 minutes. Spain came out firing after half, breaking through the English defense on a Nico Williams score. England’s offense struggled to make much of anything happen until star striker Cole Palmer was substituted in in the 70th minute. A short three minutes later, Palmer equalized off a Jude Bellingham assist, poking it through a mass of bodies and finding the bottom-left corner. With time running out, Spain made a clutch attack, ending with striker Mikel Oyarzabal poking the ball past the English goalie and giving La Roja a 2-1 lead. The goal would prove to be the winner, as England failed to answer, and Spain was left to lift the Henri Delaunay Cup.
Though the game marked England’s second straight loss in the Euro final, they have a chance for redemption in Paris as the Olympics begin in a few short weeks. Brazil took home gold in 2020, and Spain silver, but the English team could threaten to overtake the two dominant squads. For Spain, they will hope to exact revenge on the Brazilian club, and continue their torrid hot streak.