Spain vs England

The Euro 2024 finale promises an epic showdown on Sunday evening as Spain and England face off at the electrifying Olympiastadion in Berlin, each vying for the coveted title of continental champions. La Roja, seen by many as the favorites to prevent England's dream of bringing football home, are no strangers to the Henri Delaunay Trophy. In contrast, the 1966 World Cup winners, England, have yet to lift this prestigious cup.

Both teams endured challenging semi-final matches to reach this stage. Spain overcame France to deny them a chance at European glory, while England triumphed over the Netherlands in a thrilling encounter, marking their second consecutive final appearance.

As referee Francois Letexier's final whistle approaches on Sunday night, the storied Spain vs. England rivalry in major tournaments will add a new chapter. This clash follows two notable meetings last year: England's Under-21s defeated Spain to win their European Championship, while Spain's women's team secured a 1-0 victory in the World Cup final. With such a backdrop, Sunday's highly anticipated match is set to be an intense and evenly matched contest.

De la Fuente's Spain may have gone unnoticed before starting their Euro responsibilities, especially in light of their recent big tournament losses, as the likes of hosts Germany, the Kylian Mbappe-led France, and - to some extent - England soaked up the most of the pre-tournament excitement.

The so-called "Group of Death," however, was completely embarrassed by La Roja, who finished the first phase as the only team with a perfect record both defensively and in terms of points, after amassing nine points from a possible nine against the unfancied Albanians, reigning European champions Italy (who will soon be deposed), and Croatia, the runners-up in the 2018 World Cup.

Spain had not conceded a goal to an opponent until after tournament debutants Georgia took an unexpected lead in their last-16 match. A fantastic quartet of strikes from Roja saved Robin Le Normand's blushes, and De la Fuente's team then survived their biggest scare yet against eliminated hosts Germany in the quarterfinals.

The 16-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal lit up the Allianz Arena with the goal that made him the youngest scorer in Euro history, and an incredible one at that, following Mikel Merino's heroics in Stuttgart. However, Les Bleus were left feeling short-changed by Dani Olmo's deflected attempt and fine touch.

With the exception of their incredible Nations League campaign from the previous year, Spain's senior men's team defeated the French to earn a spot in their sixth major tournament final. La Roja had only finished second once in their previous five competitions, that being the Euro 1984 final against Les Bleus.

Spain, who won the continent's championships in 1964, 2008, and 2012, has the opportunity to make football history by winning four straight major tournament finals and breaking the hearts of the English. They would also receive another engraving on the Henri Delaunay Trophy.

Of course, a fourth European Championship victory would make Spain the most successful team in competition history, surpassing Germany and their triumphal successes in the process. However, the three-time champions have only won 16 of their last 18 games, winning eight of them in a row.

If a lad from Torquay hadn't made his mark in English football history as a Premier League player with Aston Villa, Spain would have been preparing for a rematch of their intense 2010 World Cup final matchup with the Netherlands. Rather, De la Fuente's men will confront a wall of white that has just come from delirious celebration in Dortmund.

Before facing Ronald Koeman's team at Signal Iduna Park, only one of England's five Euro 2024 matches—their opening game against Serbia—was resolved within 90 minutes. This led to widespread criticism of Gareth Southgate, the often-criticized Three Lions coach.

Lackluster draws with Denmark and Slovenia, where England appeared tired and lacking in attacking creativity, failed to inspire confidence among fans. Their unconvincing last-16 victory over Slovakia, which was only secured by Jude Bellingham's remarkable goalkeeping, also did little to rally the nation.

Thanks to Bellingham's heroics, England made it to the quarter-finals, where Bukayo Saka saved the day against Switzerland. Saka, who redeemed himself from his previous tournament penalty miss, shone in a flawless shootout performance reminiscent of Stuart Pearce's against Spain in 1996.

Despite their progression, Southgate's team knew they needed significant improvements to counter the Netherlands. Xavi Simons exploited a rare mistake from Declan Rice, but England responded with arguably their best performance of 2024.