EURO 2024: A Champion of many upsets, by Joachim OLUMBA

As the month-long championship of European version of the African Cup of Nations competition grinds to a halt with the final match coming up later this evening between Spain and England, the world is set to be entertained with an epic soccer display.

The past one month has witnessed the finest display of soccer artistry by some of the best football playing nations of Europe, even as there were a number of upsets. Some less fancied or lowly graded national teams took their superior opponents to the cleaners during the competition.

From the quarter final defeat of host’s Germany in the hands of eventual finalists, Spain (2-1); Georgia trounced one of tournament’s favourites, Portugal (2-0); Austria thrashed Netherlands (3-2); Portugal spanked Turkey (3-0); Slovakia defeated Belgium (1-0) and defending champion, Italy, suffered a humiliating 2-0 crushing by Switzerland. Indeed, these were cases of some football powerhouses being overwhelmed by nations not so favourably rated in football.

Perhaps, the greatest characteristics of EURO 2024 Championship is the not-so-impressive, or outright disappointing performance of some of the greatest names in the round leather game in the world. Players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, Luka Modric, Romelu Lukaku and a host of other stars, all played below widespread expectations. Even as some of these players made some impact, justifying their inclusion in their respective national teams, their performances were not good enough to get their teams beyond the stages they crashed out of the tournament.

However, the greatest discoveries during the tournament could easily be said to be Lamine Yamal, the Barcelona sensational right winger, who plays for the Spanish national team, and a number of goalkeepers, who displayed uncommon skills to rescue their teams during critical moments. Yamal was not only the youngest player at the tournament, but the one who scored goals at the incredible age of 16 years and eleven months in an European finals championship. He only turned 17 years yesterday. Goalkeepers like Diogo Costa of Portugal, Mike Maignan of France, Slovakia’s Jan Oblak, Netherlands’ Bart Verbruggen, Unai Simon of Spain, Swiss’ Yann Sommer and Jordan Pickford of England demonstrated incredible goalkeeping abilities and skills. In fact, the competition paraded more outstanding goalkeepers.

Today’s final clash between tournament favourite, Spain and England, qualifying for the final in two consecutive editions, having lost on their own soil in Wembley, to the defending champion, Italy, in the last championship held in 2020, is expected to offer the best of entertainment and display of soccer artistry.

No one knows better than both coaches Fuente and Gareth Southgate of Spain and England respectively, the heavy stakes in today’s European championship final match. Each of the two tacticians will be marshalling the best strategies in their arsenal when matching out their boys into the arena of the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany, this evening, knowing that it’s a make or mar encounter for both. It promises to be a battle of wits in the German capital, a clash of the Titans.

Coach Fuente of Spain will be banking on his new discoveries in the 17-year old Lamine Yamal, an exceptionally gifted and daring player, as well as the equally youthful, energetic and highly skilful Nico Williams Jr (22 years), playing alongside experienced captain Alvaro Morata, Sergio Ramos, among others to stage a formidable, heroic and dazzling challenge against their opponents. The Spanish team will strive frantically to increase their haul of the tournament’s diadem to four, if they could snatch a victory from the English team.

On the other hand, England’s coach Southgate will not want to leave any stone unturned in his determination and efforts to improve his rising profile by delivering the elusive trophy to his country for the first time in history. He’ll be anchoring the tall aspiration of his team on captain Harry Kane and other key players of The Three Lions, as their team is dubbed. Real Madrid’s top player- Jude Bellingham, Arsenal’s star boy- Bukayo Saka, Kieran Trippier, Phil Foden, Eberechi Eze and Kobbie Mainoo, are among the players carrying the burden of executing the dream of the whole of their country in today’s final clash

With the star-studded teams on parade today, victory could slip either side. In fact, today’s final encounter promises to be the climax of the one month of scintillating and enchanting soccer displays. Good luck to the better of the two finalists.