2024 European Championship: BreakingDown the Semi-final

 Written By: Danny Albers 

Were done to the final 4 to claim the champion of Europe. The powerhouse Spain, the comeback kids England, the star studded France, and the underdog Netherlands. France, England, and Netherlands have all struggled at times in this tournament while Spain has made its way to the final unscathed. Let’s break down both epic games. 

Spain VS France: Teenager Helps Spain Advance

Result: Spain Wins 2-1 

France came out aggressive against Spain who’ve yet to lose or draw in the European Championship Tournament so far. France has struggled at times throughout the tournament. But they struck first against Spain when Randal Kolo Muani scored in the 9th minute. France outshot Spain in this game, but Spain controlled the pace of the game as they usually do. In the 16th minute, Spanish 16-year old Lamine Yamal scored in the 21st minute to tie the game. Building off the momentum that the teenager provided, Dani Olmo scored just 4 minutes later to give Spain the lead and eventually the win. This win puts Spain through to the final on Sunday where they’ll be favored no matter who they play. 

England VS Netherlands: The British Are Coming 

Result: England wins 2-1 

England is somehow through to the final and are one win away from winning the 2024 European Championship team. Resiliency is the moniker of this team. Every game they fall behind, and every game they find a way to win. I put my money on England and Spain to both win in regular time, and they came through. There is something special about this England team. A magic aura surrounds them after they had their hearts broken in 2020. The Dutch were determined to repeat that heartbreak as Xavi Simons scored in the 7th minute, giving Netherlands an early 1-0 lead. You might have heard me say “England kept the pressure on their opponents” multiple times already while covering this tournament, but that’s what they did. They outshot the Dutch 5-2 on shots on target. But it was a penalty shot in the 18th that would allow the English faithful to take a breather. Harry Kane stepped in and finished off a PK like he’s done his entire career. From there, we dealt with a tie game for the rest of the game. But England played it’s best in the final minutes, and Ollie Watkins broke through in the 90th minute.