Euro 2024: Dominant Spain Face Struggling France in Semi-Final 1

It doesn’t shock one that France have been boring, for that is how they have always been under Didier Deschamps. There is also no denying that it is a solid team that has kept four clean sheets in the five matches they have played. And while their style of play may not exactly please the senses, it works. Les Bleus are aiming for a fourth major tournament final in the last eight years (after reaching the Euro 2016 showpiece and the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals). This kind of consistency is rare in international football.

Spain though know what it is like to be so good for so long. Between 2008 and 2012 they were playing the kind of football most sides could only dream of. It got them results as well. By winning Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012, they had become the first men’s international team in history to win three major titles in a row. They were great until they weren’t.

The end of 2012 marked a departure from the norm. Coming into Euro 2024, Spain had won just seven matches at major international tournaments since winning Euro 2012. They were lacking quality and teams figured out tiki taka. However, by winning the 2023 Nations League Finals, Spain showed they have once again managed to put together a team of immense potential. It gave their fans hope.