Spain vs France: A mammoth showdown between two kings of European and world football awaits
A mammoth showdown between two titans of world football will be on the cards when Spain and France match wits on Tuesday. La Roja and Les Bleus have had vastly different UEFA EURO 2024 tournaments so far, but now, both teams are just a match away from featuring in the showpiece final on Sunday.
Spain have looked absolutely imperious since the start of this competition. Luis de la Fuente’s men were placed in Group B, alongside reigning Euro winners Italy and perpetual major tournament dark horses Croatia, with Albania completing that quartet. The three time Euro winners not only topped their group without dropping a single point, but also did so without conceding a goal.
Despite finally conceding in the round of 16 against debutant side Georgia, Spain were quickly able to regain control of that tie to score four times sans reply and set up a mouth-watering clash in the quarter-finals against Euro hosts Germany. Like Spain, Germany have won this competition three times, and were expected to present the toughest opposition for La Roja in a quarter-finals tie that many felt would have the air of a final.
Fans and neutrals alike were definitely entertained as the two most successful teams in European Championship history battled for tactical supremacy over 90 minutes. Dani Olmo’s early second half goal was the only difference separating the two teams, before Florian Wirtz’s late goal restored parity for Germany and kept the hosts’ dreams of a fourth Euro title afloat. That also pushed the match into 30 more minutes of extra time, and for all intents and purposes, the clash appeared to be heading to penalties after neither side were able to find a breakthrough.
But substitute Mikel Merino, who had come on the 80th minute for Nico Williams, had other ideas as he powered a 119th-minute header home to snatch victory for Spain and sent La Roja into the quarter-finals. The goal wasn’t without controversy, as many observers noted the incidence of a handball in the build-up, but the goal stood regardless, meaning that Spain have won all five matches in this competition. Should they triumph against France on Tuesday, Spain will become the first team to win six consecutive Euro matches at the same tournament.
France, naturally, will have other ideas. Despite a rather dull showing so far, Les Bleus are nonetheless into the semi-finals. Notably, they still have yet to score a goal from open play – an amazing fact considering that they qualified for the round of 16 as runners-up in their group. Indeed, despite not yet getting out of second gear, France are literally just one game away from featuring in the final. Didier Deschamps’s squad failed to fire during a 1-0 win over Austria, but picked up all three points following an own goal against their opponents.
They played out to a scoreless stalemate against the Netherlands before picking up a point against an already-eliminated Poland on matchday three, with Kylian Mbappe scoring a penalty. In a highly-hyped battle against Portugal in the round of 16, it was France’s defense and shot-stopper Mike Maignan who really were the stars of the show, as they successfully shut down any offensive attempts by their opponents over 120 minutes before getting the job done on penalties to book their spot at this juncture.
Les Bleus’ style of play has expectedly earned them the ire of many critics, but it appears that Deschamps is merely focused on trying to get his side to Sunday’s final. They will, however, be facing an opponent who have won 15 of their last 19 games across all competitions, and notably, at this competition, have shown they clearly have no problems finding the back of the net. No team, whether it be Croatia, Italy, Albania, Georgia, or Germany, have been able to keep Spain from scoring, and it is expected that France will be under periods of sustained pressure from the get-go.
Will Les Bleus successfully stop this Spanish juggernaut? Or will La Roja steamroll past yet another opponent to take on either the Netherlands or England in the UEFA EURO 2024 finals on Sunday?
