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England will face Spain in Sunday’s Euro 2024 final in Berlin after beating the Netherlands 2-1 in the semi-final.
What is England’s record against Spain?
This will be England’s third match against Spain at a European Championship – and the Three Lions triumphed in the previous two.
In the 1980 group stages, England beat Spain 2-1 in Naples – although both sides went out.
And in 1996 the sides met in the last 16 at Wembley, with England winning on penalties after a goalless draw.
Their only other meeting at a major tournament was the 1950 World Cup, with Spain winning 1-0 in a group game in Rio de Janeiro.
England did win the most recent tie, a 3-2 victory in Seville in the 2018 Nations League, but only won two of their 10 meetings before that (excluding penalties).
In international and club finals, though, Spanish teams take some stopping – with 22 successes in a row since 2001.
The national team have won their past three major tournament finals, while the last nine Champions League finals and 10 Europa League finals involving a Spanish side and a foreign team have all ended in La Liga victory.
Spain’s tough run, doing it in style
While England were perceived to be in the ‘easy half’ of the Euro 2024 draw, Spain‘s route to the final could not have been more difficult.
In the group stage, they beat 2018 World Cup semi-finalists Croatia and defending European champions Italy.
Then in the quarter-finals they beat hosts Germany – who were arguably the second-best team in the Euros – and in the semi-finals eliminated 2018 world champions France.
Not only that but they have won all six games without the need for penalties. No team have managed that in one European Championship before.
They are also the top scorers in the tournament with 13 goals.
Spain also have history in the Euros, winning it in 1964, 2008 and 2012. They are bidding to become the first nation to win it four times.
Spain have the tournament’s star
If Spain win, this tournament is likely to go down in history as the introduction of Lamine Yamal – in the way Pele took the 1958 World Cup by storm.
The 16-year-old Barcelona player became the youngest European Championship player ever when he started their opening game against Croatia.
In the semi-final his stunning effort into the top scorer made him the youngest goalscorer at a Euros or World Cup, breaking Pele’s record. He also broke Pele’s record of the youngest player in a semi-final in either tournament.
Not only has he been playing – and scored one of the goals of the tournament – but statistically he has generally been one of the best players too, with three assists and 13 chances created.
Yamal plays on the right wing and on the left has been one of the tournament’s other stars, Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams, who is only 21 himself.
The pair, who have become close friends, celebrate birthdays in the two days leading up to the final.
Luis de la Fuente’s side also have the current leader in the Golden Boot race: Leipzig midfielder Dani Olmo. Despite only starting two games he has scored three goals – level with four other players – but his two assists are the tie-breaker.
Another contender for the player of the tournament is Spain‘s Manchester City defensive midfielder Rodri.
The 28-year-old, who was born on the day England knocked Spain out of Euro ’96, has only lost one of his past 79 games for club and country.
What do the pundits say about Spain?
Former England striker Alan Shearer: “They’ve got everything you need to be successful and that’s the reason they’ve won every single game at this tournament.”
Chris Sutton: “It is hard to see anybody touching them, they seem to be on a different level to anybody else in this tournament.”
Micah Richards: “The worries I had about this Spanish team, they answered them against France – how they can adapt to situations and when you have pace on the wings you always have a chance. They look really balanced and I think they are favourites.”
