Neither the English nor the Spanish are talking big ahead of the European Championship final. However, the expectations of both are huge.
13.07.2024, 22:11
13.07.2024, 22:41
SDA
No, neither the English nor the Spanish want to be the favorites ahead of the European Championship final. On Saturday evening, England coach Gareth Southgate, for example, had this to say in the bowels of Berlin's venerable Olympiastadion: "Spain have had an excellent tournament, but we've also played our way here. Both teams have the chance to achieve something great."
His Spanish antipode Luis de la Fuente says: "In a game like this, the tiniest details are crucial. It can go either way."
Kane's swap deal
It's no surprise that the finalists are keeping a low profile and not dictating any brash announcements into the microphones. Too much is at stake on Sunday, a rash sentence makes the rounds too quickly in this day and age and will be gleefully dredged up again in the event of failure.
And yet it is clear how much it would mean to the protagonists to lift the European Championship trophy into the Berlin night sky sometime before midnight on Sunday. Harry Kane is asked a question on the podium that he has not heard for the first time. Namely, whether he, who has still never won a title with a team in his career, would swap everything he has achieved so far for the European Championship trophy. "Of course," replies England's captain and laughs.
The top scorer in last year's Bundesliga season has not had an easy tournament and yet he, who has scored three times in Germany so far, has the chance to take home the top scorer's golden boot. "I'm determined to make tomorrow night a special one," says the 30-year-old. "We've had difficult phases, but we've come through. That gives us confidence and resilience."
The pressure that is hidden
The pressure that can arise in a match like this, which will be watched by millions of people around the world, is something the protagonists ignore. De la Fuente says he will tell his players to enjoy the game above all else. "Nobody expected much from this team before the tournament. That's why we can be very proud of what the players have achieved." And Southgate believes that if his team are not afraid of losing the final like they did against Italy three years ago, they have a better chance of winning the game.
However, there is one moment in this final must-win game before the big showdown when it shines through that England and Spain have more at stake than just the silver Henri Delaunay Cup. That both teams are facing immense expectations in their home countries. And that millions of people will go to bed late on Sunday evening disappointed and sad that they didn't win the European Championship title after all.
Gareth Southgate, who has been the subject of constant criticism in recent weeks and whose dismissal has once again been the subject of intense debate, says: "We have to win this trophy to earn the respect of the football world."
