BBC Pidgin of Sunday, 14 July 2024

Source: BBC

Euro 2024 final: Di trophy dey ‘come home’ or Spain wonderkids go take am?

England dey search dia first Euro trophy as Spain dey eye winning dia fourth title England dey search dia first Euro trophy as Spain dey eye winning dia fourth title

Di game everibodi dey wait na dis ogbonge Euro final match between Spain and England.

Afta 50 matches, di crowning moment don reach.

Spain and England dey 90/120 minutes away from winning di trophy wey 24 teams don dey chase since di beginning of di tournament.

For some, e dey “come home” - di trophy dey go England wey neva win trophy for almost 60 years. (Dia last trophy na di world for 1966 wey dem win for home soil)

For odas, Spain wey be joint most successful team for di Euros (3 trophies), fit to win am to make an 4 titles.

But e no go come on a silver platter as some sabi pipo tok.

Despite say Spain don score di most goals for di euros wey dem win all dia six games - England go be tough opposition.

Gareth Southgate sabi di fact say Spain na favourites but im no dey rule out di fact say di three lions fit to cause upset for dis final.

“Spain na di best team for dis tournament wey dem get one more day for recovery - tactically we get to be perfect as dem be good team,” Southgate tok afta dem qualify for di finals.

Im add say “we come dis tournament to make history”.

Already King Charles don wish di team well, wey im tok for one statement say make dem “secure victory bifor any last minute wonder goals or penalty shootout drama.”

Di King don add say im dey sure say “di early goal go prevent stress and blood pressure for di entire nation.”

Gareth Southgate bifor dis tournament don dey under pressure afta England don record some poor results for dia pre-tournament games, wia plenty pundits tok say im no fit to lead di three lions to di final.

But afta six games, dem dey di final wit di chance to win afta dia 2020 penalty shootout defeat to Italy.

Dis na di second successive final wey di three lions don reach under Gareth Southgate.

Im now get to eliminate di tactics of Spain coach Luis De La Fuente.

Bifor dem appoint di Spanish coach for 2022, di 61-year-old face wahala say im no coach for top level bifor dat appointment.

Na im only coach Spain youth teams since 2013 - di last one be di U23 team.

But De La Fuente defend im appointment at dat time say im win titles as a player wia im also coach 16 players wey dey di Spain 2022 World Cup squad.

“Wit all dis, if anyone sabi di present and di future of football for Spain, na me.” E tok.

Two years later, Luis De La Fuente dey on di verge of winning im first trophy wit La Roja for di Euros.

Dem be di most impressive team so far as dem beat oda ogbonge teams like France and host nation Germany.

De La Fuente warn say England get plenty threat.

“England get quality players wey fit appear any moment, we dey play against very powerful team wit experience - dis match go dey tough,” di 63 year-old tok.

Im add say dem go try to win di trophy.

Spain v England Head-to-head

Spain don win di championship for 1964, 2008 and 2012, and dem fit to be di first team to win am 4 times.

Dis na dia fifth final - dem lose di oda final vs France for 1984.

England don dey aim to win dia first ever Euro trophy afta dem lose to Italy in 2020.

Di two teams don face each oda 27 times - three lions don win 14 wia Spain win 10 wit 3 draws.

In dia last 5 matches since 2011, England don win two (1-0 12 November 2011) and (3-2 15 October 2018).

Spain also win two during dat period (2-0 13 November 2015) and (2-1 8 September 2018) wia dem draw di last one 2-2 on 15 November 2016.

Di stakes dey high for dis one.

Di English fans believe say di trophy “dey come home” but dem need to defeat Lamine Yamal and im teammates.

Team news

England don reach di final afta dem beat Serbia 1-0 for di group stage, wia dem play 1-1 draw wit Denmark and scoreless draw (0-0) wit Slovenia.

Di three lions now beat Slovakia 2-1 for di R16 bifor dia 5-3 penalty shootout win vs Switzerland for di quarterfinal.

Gareth Southgate im team now beat England 2-1 for di semifinal wit Ollie Watkins im last minute goal from di bench.

For Spain, dem thrash Croatia 3-0 for dia opening group game.

La Roja now beat Italy and Albania 1-0 bifor dem wallop Georgia 4-1 for R16.

For di quarterfinal, Spain beat host nation Germany 2-1 - dem also beat France 2-1 for semifinal.

So far, Harry Kane despite say im no play well get 3 goals, same as Dani Olmo from Spain, Cody Gakpo from Netherlands, Jamal Musiala from Germany, Ivan Schranz from Slovakia and Georges Mikautadze from Georgia.

Di next among di top scorers na Jude Bellingham (England) wit 2 goals and Fabian Ruiz (Spain) wit 2 goals.

Despite di fact say England captain Harry Kane don pick knock for di semifinal game vs Netherlands, im dey ready to start di final.

Southgate no get any major injury concerns for dis final - Foden, Bellingham, Rice and Pickford all dey set to start.

For Spain, apart from Pedri wey hurt and Jesus Navas wey pick knock for dia Semifinal against France for 58th minute, all di odas dey fit.

Navas wey start di semifinal sake of red card wia Dani Carvajal don get for di quarterfinal, no go start vs England as Carval don dey eligible for selection afta im one-game suspension.

Spain don blend young players like Lamine Yamal wey be 17 years now and Nico Williams wey be 22 years wit more experienced players like Fabian Ruiz, Rodri, Morata and Dani Olmo.

England also get some youngsters like premier league player of di season Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Cole Palmer - wey dey blend wit oda experienced players too like Stones, Kane, Walker and Trippier.

Players to watch

Lamine Yamal wey set record for dis tournament as di youngest player to appear for di history of di tournament, di youngest to score for di history of di tournament and di youngest to play for di final, im be one of di key players for Spain.

Di Barcelona star don make headlines wit im ogbonge goal for di semifinal - now im score one goal wit 3 assists and 16 total attempts.

Nico Williams (22) also be one of Spain dia impressive players wey im too get one fail and one assist; im also create 8 chances wit 89% pass accuracy.

Dani Olmo wey be anoda danger man for Spain get 3 goals wit 2 assists and 15 attempts - if Spain need to do sometin for di final, di Leipzig player go be crucial.

Same way for England, dia star player Jude Bellingham wey get 2 goals fit make di difference, togeda wit Harry Kane; di Bayern Munich player get 3 goals from 17 attempts.

Teenage midfielder Kobbie Mainoo also don show say im be one of di bright players for di center of di park; against Netherlands, im tanda di midfield wia im go dey responsible to hustle Rodri for dis game.

If Southgate give Cole Palmer chance to start, im too fit create wahala for Spain, afta im come from di bench to create Ollie Watkins im winning goal for England for di last minute vs Netherlands.

Possible line-ups

Spain XI: Simón (GK); Carvajal, Le Normand, Laporte, Cucurella; Ruiz, Rodri, Olmo; Yamal, Morata, Williams

England XI: Pickford (GK); Walker, Stones, Guéhi; Saka, Mainoo, Rice, Shaw; Bellingham, Foden; Kane

Dis game go happun for di Olympiastadion for Berlin at 8PM WAT.

French referee Francois Letexier go referee dis game.

Di 35-year-old don be referee since 2017 wia im already officiate 65 UEFA games for im career.

We go bring una live text coverage of dis ogbonge game, so make una stay wit us for updates.