Euro Cortado #18: Spain & France, same round, different levels
Spain will meet France in the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2024 - make it make sense!
The most impressive side at this year’s European Championship so far will next play a team that is yet to see one their players score from open play.
No, it is not a dead rubber at the end of the Group Stage, it is a semi-final between Spain and France.
A match that many people’s pre-tournament simulators would have thrown up to no one’s surprise is actually going to happen, to everyone’s surprise.
How did we get here? Settle in for a Euro Cortado with your Saturday brunch!*
(*Don’t expect too much analysis on France vs Portugal, I couldn’t bare it.)
Spain’s spare parts proving useful
I always find a certain run, record or coincidence in football always ends immediately after it becomes public knowledge.
In the build-up to yesterday’s match, it was being noted everywhere that Spain had never beaten the host nation at a major tournament, something I and the constantly-mentioning-it Anglophone media were previously unaware of.
Therefore, it became a foregone conclusion; Spain were going to reach the semi-finals and I could write this in my semi-final preview:
I see this one going the distance with Germany roared on by the home crowd, but nothing seems to have phased Spain thus far, and I think they will edge it. Spain win 2-1 (AET).
OK, OK, smugness over. And I suppose Spain were somewhat phased by Germany’s late equaliser through Florian Wirtz.
But Spain have now passed what surely must be the toughest test they are going to face this summer, and have their squad players to thank.
When Luis de la Fuente rotated his team against an Albania side who were fighting for their lives, I lauded the players who came in and fitted in seamlessly and instantly into the new direct Spanish style of play.
That was, however, in a match that was about as “risk-free” as one can get at a European Championship. Yesterday, when Dani Olmo was forced to replace the injured Pedri after six minutes, the real pressure began.
And how they dealt with it! In a fiery match, where Anthony Taylor was handing out more cards than a postman in December, it was Olmo who steered Spain into the lead early in the second half after Lamine Yamal teed him up.
The moment Spain looked to be in control, however, Germany came back at them, hitting the post among countless late chances before finally equalising in the 89th minute.
As the match went to extra time, I was first in the queue to criticise de la Fuente, as by the 80th minute, the front three of Álvaro Morata, Nico Williams and Yamal had all been taken off for Ferran Torres, Mikel Merino and Mikel Oyarzabal, respectively. Not all like-for-like changes to keep the same shape, but not defensive enough to grind out a 1-0 win, and so it proved.
But what do I know? In the 119th minute, up popped Merino to meet Olmo’s cross and head Spain into the semi-finals!
Football is a team game, and winning major tournaments is a squad game - and Spain have brought an A-squad with an A-game.
Germany won’t be written off again
After three dismal major tournaments by almost anyone’s standards, let alone their own, it is testament to how far Germany have come in a short space of time that many people had them down to win this tournament.
In some respects, falling at the quarter-final stage on home soil will feel like a failure to Europe’s most successful nation, but clearly a corner has been turned, reminiscent of their last tournament hosting, in 2006.
A new generation of talent hasn’t emerged fully formed as it did 18 years ago, yet with Wirtz, Kai Havertz, Jamal Musiala and co, Germany can let Toni Kroos (and surely Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller) sail off into the sunset knowing that the national team is in very good hands and will be contenders at tournaments again for a good few years to come.
A minute from a penalty shoot-out having been denied a spot-kick in extra time after the ball struck Marc Cucurella’s hand, against the team of the tournament thus far. This will go down either as a tournament or two too early for Germany, or the one that got away.
France out-drab Portugal
Do I really have to talk about this crap?
France beat Portugal on penalties after offering absolutely nothing for 120 minutes.
Portugal were marginally the better team on the night when Cristiano Ronaldo was briefly taken off free-kick duties, but unfortunately his teammates could not make their chance count.
It was sickening that this rubbish came after Spain and Germany fought tooth-and-nail for the right to play one of these teams in the semi-finals.
Diogo Costa, perfect against Slovenia in the previous round, looked like a poor imitation of himself in last night’s shootout, going the wrong way every time. If only he had done the same against Slovenia, who would have made for much more exciting semi-finalists.
We didn’t learn anything from that match about either team, it was dull and I’ve had enough of writing about it. Good day.
Looking for a preview of England vs Switzerland and Netherlands vs Turkey? Take a look at the second half of my Quarter-finals preview…
Anthony Tomas is a football writer and commentator, who writes for Flashscore and World Soccer Magazine.