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Informist, Monday, Jul 15, 2024

 

By Sayantan Sarkar

 

NEW DELHI - "Once more, this zestful football nation has come to the party and danced the most beautiful dance," British commentator Peter Drury said after the final whistle in Sunday's Euro Cup final.

 

During the victory celebrations, as the King of Spain Felipe VI handed the Euro Cup to Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams after an exhilarating final against England, it marked the beginning of what could be an exciting partnership between the two young Spanish wingers for years to come in national colours.

 

Williams, who turned 22 on Friday, opened the scoreline on Sunday night against England as the 17-year-old Yamal provided the assist. The two wingers had lit up the tournament with blistering speed from the flanks and deadly shots on goal. It was fitting that the two combined to give Spain the lead on Sunday. 

 

Spain has now won four European Championships, the first nation to do so. Their last three Euro Cups have come in the space of 16 years. Even after hitting its footballing peak by winning two Euros and a World Cup during 2008 to 2012, Sunday's victory was proof that Spain's possession-based football still worked even though it is not at the same wave-length as the much famed "tiki-taka". On the night, the Iberian nation had more shots on goal, completed more passes and had more possession than England. Spain played with a lot of confidence, winning all its games in the tournament, and entertaining the fans and neutrals on their way to clinching the trophy. 

 

For starters, Spain was not among the hot favourites to win the competition this year. Pundits and fans were more vocal about the likes of Germany, France and England. The interesting fact here is that La Roja had beaten all the above three in the knockout phase and also won the group of death, which had 2020 champions, Italy, and 2018 World Cup finalist, Crotia. 

 

For England, Sunday's final was much like how the Three Lions had played most of this tournament. England had trailed in all three of its knockout games before the final and still came through. Even with all the possession and shots on goal, Spain had failed to create clear-cut chances in the first half, which ended in a stalemate. Williams' goal early in the second half jolted England, but this is a team that had shown plenty of character throughout the competition. This is precisely what seemed to be unfolding when substitute Cole Palmer found the bottom corner of the Spanish net in the 73rd minute of the match, giving England some hope. 

 

The joy, however, was short-lived when Spain scored again through Mikel Oyarzabal in the 86th minute from a beautiful cross by Marc Cucurella, whose performances had been pivotal for La Roja throughout their campaign this year. England, once again, with an entire generation of young talent--Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka--were staring down the barrel. The Three Lions couldn't find another goal, which means their 58-year-long trophy drought continues.

 

With a star-studded line-up, the Three Lions have tasted some success at the international stage over the last few years. England, in the space of four tournaments, have reached three semifinals and two finals. They were the runners-up to Italy in the previous Euro Cup held in 2021. In the last couple of tournaments, England have been touted as the favourites. Gareth Southgate's men haven't quite dazzled and set the stage on fire, but their pragmatic approach had got them to two back-to-back Euro finals. But, in Spain, England came up against an opponent who didn't give an inch. 

 

On Sunday, the beautiful game was won by the team which played the most beautiful football throughout the Euro 2024.  End

 

Edited by Vandana Hingorani

 

 

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