The summer hit is Spanish, fresh, catchy, lively and deserves to be at the top of the European charts. At the end of a European Championship that was far from enjoyable, it was the most attractive, most complete and most beautiful team to watch that came to lift the Henry Delaunay trophy this Sunday evening in Berlin, extending the English curse for another year.
This title obtained at the end of a dull then stunning match, bears the mark of a duo Nico Williams-Lamine Yamal, 39 years old between them since Saturday, but so strong and capable of shaking up a well-established scenario in the Berlin evening which ended in joy after the winning goal by Mikel Oyarzábal (86th).
Yet the plan has long been in line with expectations. Already in the stands, where the English supporters, “muy caliente” all day in the streets of the capital, transformed the Olympic stadium in Berlin into a copy of their home of Wembley. The white wave had set the mood to the rhythm of a tailor-made playlist of Robbie Williams, Beatles and other “Coming Home”.
On the pitch, the balance of power was, as expected, reversed with a dominant Roja, confiscating the ball almost 70% of the time. The difference is that she has long shown an unusual technical imprecision in her choices and had difficulty putting in that grain of madness that made her so attractive.
On an evening where we thought for a moment that Lamine Yamal looked a little older than in previous matches, it was Nico Williams (12th) and Fabian Ruiz (28th) who lit the first fuses. But without really managing to shake up a well-positioned English defense that made the Spaniards more nervous, more tense and without ideas. Opposite, only Kane (45th) and Foden (45 + 1) produced the only highlights of a poor first half that rather well reflected the general level of the Euro.
Harry Kane, the uncrowned king
We thought that the loss of Rodri, who came off injured at half-time, would not help our situation. But since Spain has two incredible talents capable of turning everything upside down and England is a team that never gives up, the second half took a completely different turn and woke up the quarter turn of the Iberian supporters who were finally audible on Williams’ goal scored at the end of a high-class move, perfectly illustrating the playing precepts of this new-look Roja (47th). Liberated, Luis de la Fuente’s men pushed to score the second-half goal. But Olmo (49th), Williams (56th), Yamal (66th) and Fabian Ruiz (70th) missed the opportunity to offer themselves a peaceful end to the match.
This England, specialist in reversals of situations, did not ask for so much. They have experienced this kind of scenario so many times in Germany that it was impossible to bury them, to underestimate their mental resources and the coaching of Gareth Southgate. The England coach demonstrated that you should not be afraid to take off your captain, Harry Kane, after the hour mark, when you are not playing your game. In a remake of the semi-final against the Netherlands, Ollie Watkins, the decisive passer, and Cole Palmer, the scorer, once again turned into makers of hope, this time with a role reversal (73rd). That was before Oyarzábal put an end to England’s dreams, still and always deprived of a crown…
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