Sunday saw Spain beat England 2-1 in the final of Euro 2024.
La Roja were the most impressive side throughout the tournament, and
despite a scare when Cole Palmer equalised after Nico Williams’ opener
in Berlin, Mikel Oyarzabal won it for Spain late on.
It could have gone either way, though, right? In a one-off game between
two sides good enough to reach a final, doesn’t it basically become 50-50?
Well, in a final that involves Spanish teams, it seems not.
When it comes to the Spain men’s national team and La Liga sides, they
are near enough invincible in major finals.
Taking into account World Cups, European Championships, Champions League
and the UEFA Cup/Europa League, of the last 27 men’s finals involving
Spanish teams, all 27 have had Spanish winners.
That’s not to say all Spanish sides have won; four have been defeated in
that time, but in all cases they have been beaten by fellow La Liga sides.
You have to go all the way back to 2001 to last see a non-Spanish team
beat a Spanish one in a major final, and it happened twice.
Liverpool beat Alavés 5-4 in the UEFA Cup final with an own goal that
also happened to be a golden goal in extra-time. If that wasn’t
agonising enough, Valencia then lost the Champions League final to
Bayern Munich on penalties a week later.
https://theanalyst.com/2024/07/spanish-teams-extraordinary-record-in-finals-27-wins/
Harry Kane has a similar record:
"This was not his night, just as it had not been his night on so many
other occasions. The 2015-16 Premier League run-in. The 2019 Champions
League final. The 2021 Carabao Cup final. The 2021 Euros final. An unprecedented trophy-less season at Bayern Munich this season.
These matches tread a strange line where he is integral to the
opportunity, yet culpable in his side’s failure to grasp it.
“It’s no secret that I haven’t won a team trophy and every year that
goes by you’re more determined to change that,” Kane said on the eve of
the match. “It’s no secret that I’d swap everything in my career to have that special evening. I’m determined to do it tomorrow night.”
Kane could not."
Kane barely touched the ball in the final. Could be he didn't touch it
at all. England was visibly invigorated after Kane was subbed.
--
"And off they went, from here to there,
The bear, the bear, and the maiden fair"
-- Traditional
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