After a couple of insanely entertaining games, the final of the European Championship is set with England taking on Spain. 

Teenage Brilliance

Spain and France met in a game that was bound to have fireworks from the start. France got off the mark quickly with a maskless Kylian Mbappe providing a stellar assist to Randal Kolo Muani to give Les Bleus an early 1-0 lead. That lead didn’t last for long with 16 year-old phenom Lamine Yamal scoring an absolute worldie of a goal in the 21st minute. Lamine Yamal collected the ball outside the box and feinted to the right before pushing the ball onto his left foot and curling one past the sprawling Mike Maignan in goal. A moment of pure brilliance to bring Spain level. Soon after, Dani Olmo showcased his brilliant control inside the box to knock the ball past a French defender before smashing it past the goalkeeper before it was deflected into the back of the net. Spain was able to successfully stifle any other attack from Kylian Mbappe and the French, sealing their place in the final.

England Steals it Late

Much like the previous semi final, England and the Netherlands got things started early with Xavi Simons picked the ball up in midfield and drove forward before smashing a shot past Jordan Pickford from outside the area. A perfect start for the Dutch, but it didn’t last long. England were awarded a controversial penalty after striker Harry Kane struck the ball and was caught by the Dutch defender. Harry Kane then coolly dispatched the penalty, leveling the score. Much of the game was back and forth between the two sides, with each getting their fair share of chances, but it wasn’t until the 90th minute when substitute Ollie Watkins smashed a ball from a tight angle past the Dutch goalkeeper to give England a 2-1 lead. Ollie Watkins had only been on the pitch for nine minutes prior to scoring his goal earning him the title of supersub. 

What’s Next

The final of the European Championship will be played on Sunday, July 14th and it should be a very evenly matched game. Both teams will look to ride their momentum into the final to look to bring home the trophy. For Spain, it would be a fourth Euros victory and first since the legendary 2012 team. It would be a first Euros win for England, who came up just short in 2021, and their first major trophy since winning the World Cup in 1966. Spain will look to utilize their technical abilities and young stars Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams to bring the trophy back to Spain. England will need their big stars in Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, and Bukayo Saka to step up and cause the stalwart Spanish defense some problems if they want it to come home. Either way it should be a thrilling match that will have fans on the edge of their seats for the course of the match. 

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