Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Euro 24 Final Four: France Faces Spain; England Faces The Netherlands

The Final Four is set for Euro 24. France faces Spain on Tuesday with England matching up with the Netherlands Wednesday.

France is in a Euro 24 semifinal despite not having scored a goal from the run of play all tournament. The French attack is broken with star Kylian Mbappe suffering though a painful broken nose and a mask which inhibits his vision. No one else has stepped up on France’s front line but an imposing defense, which includes Arsenal center back William Saliba, has posted four clean sheets in France’s five games to date.

The quarterfinals saw the French prevail over Portugal in penalty kicks after neither club could score through regular time and two extra periods. Joao Felix, a onetime prodigy who was in the Premier League for a brief loan spell with Chelsea two years ago, hit the post with his penalty kick to seal Portugal’s fate as all five French takers were perfect from the spot. Two other gentlemen, however, are perhaps more responsible for Portugal’s exit. Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score a goal in this tournament despite playing more minutes for Portugal than any other player but for goalkeeper Diogo Costa. Portugal Manager Roberto Martinez, meanwhile, stubbornly refused to remove the ineffective 39-year-old Portuguese national legend. Even Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes was removed late in the match with France, but Cristiano played every one of the 120 minutes leading to penalties even as talented options such as Liverpool’s Diogo Jota watched on from the bench.

France, meanwhile, moves on to face a Spain side which defeated host Germany 2-1 on a soaring header with just over a minute left to extra time by substitute Mikel Merino. Spain has won every one of its matches in this tournament and plays an exciting style in marked contrast to some of the other contenders. The Spaniards employ two young wingers, Nico Williams and 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, to provide pace and width. Former Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata has been an effective Number 9 but strangely made some controversial comments about being underappreciated on the eve of the semifinal. Hopefully, Spain’s togetherness and chemistry is not undermined for Tuesday’s match. Spain will already be without suspended defenders Dani Carvajal and Robin Le Normand as well as injured Barcelona midfielder Pedri for the semifinal. Tuesday’s outcome could hinge on the fitness of the struggling Mbappe who would normally feast on an undermanned defense. France, however, has somehow been able to survive and advance even as supporters wring their hands at the lack of offensive production.

Much the same can be said of England. The Three Lions defeated Switzerland in penalties after Bukayo Saka equalized the quarterfinal match versus Switzerland at 1-1 in the 80th minute, the Arsenal man’s rocket coming on England’s first shot on target. Saka, who memorably  missed a penalty in Euro 20, would also be one of five successful takers for England against the Swiss. Chelsea’s “Cold” Palmer effortlessly delivered on England’s first penalty try. Jordan Pickford then stopped the attempt of Switzerland and Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji. After Jude Bellingham and Saka converted, it was left to late substitutes Ivan Toney and Trent Alexander-Arnold to nail things down for England. Brentford’s Toney first successfully converted his patented no look kick after an abbreviated two step approach. Liverpool’s Alexander-Arnold, struggling for minutes after a failed experiment in England’s midfield, then buried the winning penalty for a bit of personal redemption.

England’s defensive effort versus the Swiss will poses a question for England Manager Gareth Southgate approaching Wednesday’s semifinal match versus the Netherlands. Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa admirably filled in for suspended Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi as Southgate changed his formation to three back line defenders against the Swiss. Does he change back with Guehi’s return against the Dutch? Luke Shaw also made a late cameo debut against the Swiss and could be ready for increased minutes on the left of England’s defense. England will recognize a familiar center back in their opponents’ back line when Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk captains the Dutch versus England on Wednesday. Van Dijk’s Liverpool and Dutch teammate, Cody Gakpo, is the Euro 24 joint leading scorer. Though not accredited to the winger, it was Gakpo’s shot which deflected off a Türkiye defender for the own goal which decided the Netherlands’ 2-1 win over Türkiye in the quarterfinals. An unlikely hero also helped the Netherlands overcome an early one goal deficit versus the Turks. Wout Weghorst, a 6’6” Burnley striker who had a brief 2023 loan at Manchester United, injected life into the Dutch attack with his second half substitution and formidable box presence. The Netherlands was the least likely of the four teams to make this final four but have lost only one of their last nine meetings against the English. Can England reverse that trend, possibly on better efforts from the somnolent Harry Kane and Phil Foden on Wednesday? Or does Southgate finally lose patience with his underperforming stars and go to his bench earlier? 

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