We talk about all the most important things ahead of the decisive match of the European Football Championship.
Euro 2024is nearing its end. Only the final of the tournament is ahead, in which Spain and England will fight for the title of the best football team of the continent.
The decisive match of the European Championship will take place on Sunday, July 14, at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. The game will start at 22:00 Kyiv time.
Teams' path to Euro 2024
Spain
The Spanish national team very confidently overcame the group stage of the tournament, taking first place in Group B. Luis de la Fuente's team beat Croatia in the opening match (3:0), and beat Croatia in the second round. > Italy (1:0), thus taking revenge from the Squadra Azzurra for defeat in a penalty shootout in the semi-finals of Euro 2020.
Following the results of two rounds, the Red Fury won their quartet ahead of schedule and advanced to playoffs, so in the third match of the group round against Albania she gave key players a rest, but still won (1:0).
In the 1/8 finals Spaindefeated the debutant of the continental championships Georgia (4:1), in the quarterfinals in the last minutes of extra-times snatched victory over the host of the tournament Germany (2:1), and in the semifinalsbeat France (2:1).
England
The England team had a rather weak performance in the group stage of the 2024 European Championship. At the start, Gareth Southgate's team minimally defeated Serbia (1:0), after which they failed to beat Denmark (1:1) andcould not beatSlovenia (0:0). However, even these results allowed the Three Lions to enter the playoffs from first place and find themselves in a comfortable part of the tournament bracket.
The playoffs turned out to be even more difficult for Southgate's men. Already in the 1/8 finals, England was on the verge of elimination from Slovakia, but a fantastic goal from Jude Bellingham in the fall in the 90+5th minute saved the Three Lions, and Harry Kane's goal at the beginning of the extra periods allowed them to defeatSlovaks (2:1).
In the quarter-finals, the British were again forced to win back, having conceded to the Swiss in the 75th minute. However, in the 80th minute, Bukayo Saka equalized the score with a shot into the far corner from outside the penalty area. And in the penalty shootout, Southgate's men were as calm as possible and beat Switzerland (1:1, 5:3 pen).
England's opponent in the semi-finals was the Netherlands. The Three Lions conceded first again, with Xavi Simons scoring early on. But thanks to Kane's penalty and a precise strike in the last minute of regular time by Ollie Watkins, who had come on as a substitute shortly before, the English snatched a victory over the Netherlands (2:1) and advanced to the final.
Tentative lineups for the Euro 2024 final
There are almost no personnel losses in either team before the decisive match. The Spaniards will be without Pedri, who was injured in the quarter-finals against Germany and is out for the rest of the tournament.
Pyrenees forward Alvaro Morata almost injuredafter the semi-final with France due to a steward who slipped and accidentally crashed into a player. However, the striker escaped injury and will be able to take part in the Euro final.
Red Fury defenders Robin Le Normand and Dani Carvajal missed the Euro 2024 semi-final due to too many yellow cards, but will be available for the final .
As for England, minor injuries were found on Harry Kane and Kieran Trippier, but this should not prevent them from playing in the main match of the tournament.
The official UEFA website gives the following tentative lineups for the Euro 2024 final:
Spain: Simon; Carvajal, Le Norman, Laporte, Cucurella; Ruiz, Rodri, Olmo; Yamal, Morata, Williams
England: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Gekhi; Saka, Mainu, Rice, Shaw; Bellingham, Foden; Kane
Words from the head coaches of Spain and England about the Euro 2024 final
Head coach of the Spanish national team Luis de la Fuente: “I know that my team can play even better. I’m sure it will be so. The very idea of football is based on self-confidence. We want to reveal our full potential. It’s a completely different game. It may be hard to believe, but we have There is still room for progress,” de la Fuente is quoted as saying by the official UEFA website.
England head coach Gareth Southgate: “I'm immensely proud to have led England to their first big final abroad. Now we want to beat Spain, who are the best in the tournament so far. It will be difficult. They press a lot, so we need to do exceptionally well on and off the ball. But this is the final, it can’t be otherwise,” the official UEFA website quotes Southgate as saying.
History of head-to-head meetings and performances in the Euro finals
Spain and England will play the 28th head-to-head match in history. Before this, the Spaniards won 10 times, the British 13 times, another 4 matches ended in a draw.
Spain will play in the Euro finals for the fifth time in history. The Red Fury is a three-time winner of the continental championship – a record it shares with Germany. In 1964, the Spaniards defeated the USSR national team in the final (2:1), in 1984 they lost to France (0:2), in 2008 they beat Germany (1:0), and in 2012 they defeated Italy in Kyiv (4 :0).
England have reached the European Championship final for only the second time. In the decisive match of the previous Euro, which took place in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, Southgate's team lost to the Italians in a penalty shootout (1:1, pen. 2:3).
Who is the favorite in the Euro 2024 final
According to our partner, the Ukrainian bookmaker Favbet, Spain is the favorite in the Euro 2024 final. You can bet on the Pyrenees winning in regular time with odds of 2.54. A draw – 2.99. A win for the Three Lions after 90 minutes of the match – 3.50.
You can bet on the Spaniards winning the trophy with odds of 1.69. England's victory in the final, taking into account possible extra time and penalty shootouts, is 2.37.
Where to watch the Euro 2024 final
You can watch the Euro 2024 final match between Spain and England on local TV channels in Suspilne, except for OTT services. The match will be exclusively shown on the Internet by the MEGOGO media service.
A text online broadcast of the Spain – England match will be available on our website.
The material was published with the support of our partner, the Ukrainian bookmaker Favbet.