Euros final: Spain's road to Berlin

Spain are chasing their fourth European Championship title this weekend when they meet England in the Euro 2024 final. Luis de la Fuente’s men have been the strongest performers at the tournament so far, with a string of impressive wins taking them to Berlin.

La Roja look to be back to the peak of their powers, when they won this competition twice either side of their victorious 2010 World Cup campaign. De la Fuente has added a directness that Spain have often lacked, which has helped them return to the final.

Spain have a fantastic record in finals as a nation, putting together an incredible unbeaten run which dates back to 2001. Since then, no Spanish club has lost a final against foreign opposition, while the Spanish national team have won all four finals they have featured in.

With the Spanish on the verge of glory once again, let’s take a look back at their brilliant run to Berlin. 

Group Stage

Spain 3-0 Croatia
Spain 1-0 Italy
Albania 0-1 Spain

Spain landed in the tournament's 'group of death', with World Cup semi-finalists Croatia and defending champions Italy. Albania proved their worth as dark horses with impressive early displays too, but no side could lay a finger on the Spanish.

Spain blew away memories of their recent wasteful sides with a dominant 3-0 victory over Croatia. They allowed their opponents to have more of the ball in that victory, using their incredible pace on the wings to hurt Croatia time after time.

Spain stepped it up a gear in their second game, producing a fantastic performance to overrun Italy completely. Once again the wide pair of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams were key, but it took a Riccardo Calafiori own goal to end Italy's dogged resistance. 

With two wins from two, Spain had wrapped up Group B and were then able to make wholesale changes for their final match. Despite meeting an Albania side who were chasing a place in the last 16, the much-changed Spanish side still triumphed. A 1-0 win saw them wrap up a perfect group campaign, progressing to the last 16 without even conceding a goal. 

Round of 16

Spain 4-1 Georgia

Spain were handed a kind start to the knockout stages, paired with one of the four third-placed finishers that progressed from the group stage. However, Spain's expected procession against tournament debutants Georgia had a surprise early snag, with an own goal from Robin Le Normand putting the underdogs ahead.

However, Rodri popped up with an equaliser before half-time and Spain went from strength to strength in the second half. Goals after the break from Fabian Ruiz, Williams and Dani Olmo turned things around, sending Spain into the last eight in style. 

Quarter-finals

Spain 2-1 Germany (after extra time)

Despite Spain’s brilliance, luck had landed them in the heavyweight half of the draw. They were paired with hosts Germany in the quarter-finals, a game which was hyped up as the true final of Euro 2024, given how well both sides had been playing up to that point.

Spain struck first through Dani Olmo and they looked to be on course for the last four. However, Florian Wirtz equalised late on for the host nation, sending the game to extra-time.

Germany were clinging to a 1-1 draw with penalties looming, but Mikel Merino’s header in the 119th minute was enough to put Spain into the semi-finals. La Roja did lose Dani Carvajal to a second yellow card late in extra-time, but they held on to their 2-1 lead to take up a spot in the last four.

Semi-finals

Spain 2-1 France

After one heavyweight battle, Spain were quickly tested again in a semi-final clash with France. While the French had hardly set Euro 2024 alight, they still had the quality to really test the Spanish.

Randal Kolo Muani made that clear by heading home the opener after just nine minutes, with France showing much more attacking intent than previously in the tournament. However, they couldn't stand up to Spain's incredible attacking options.

Yamal brought the game level just 12 minutes later, scoring a stunning long-range strike to become the youngest goalscorer in a major tournament semi-final.

Spain scored twice in the space of just four minutes when Dani Olmo's smart turn and finish ended up in the back of the net. While France did push in the second half, they couldn’t find a way through a solid Spanish setup, and la Roja progressed to the final of Euro 2024.