BERLIN: Spain and England will meet in the European Championship final on Sunday, with much of the focus on a teenage wonderkid and whether one of the world’s most underachieving teams can end its decades-long wait for a title.
The match is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) in Berlin and is expected to be attended by Prince William, Spain’s King Felipe, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Keir Starmer, Britain’s new prime minister.
Spain is bidding to win the Euros for a record fourth time, breaking a tie with Germany/West Germany, and for the first time since 2012. The team’s new superstar is winger Lamine Yamal, a prodigy who turned 17 on Saturday.
England, who lays claim to be the birthplace of soccer, hasn’t won a major title since the 1966 World Cup and that was on home soil. This is the team’s second straight European Championship final, having lost in a penalty shootout in the final to Italy three years ago.
The teams have taken different paths to the final, which will take place at Berlin’s Olympiastadion — the 71,000-seat venue built for the 1936 Olympic Games and which hosted the 2006 World Cup final that featured Zinedine Zidane’s infamous headbutt.
Spain has won all six of its matches and is widely regarded as the best team at Euro 2024, having seen off Germany and France in the knockout stage. England was unimpressive in the group stage and has shown resilience in coming from behind in all three of its knockout-stage games.
Spain and England to meet in European Championship final in front of Prince William and King Felipe
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Spain and England to meet in European Championship final in front of Prince William and King Felipe
- Spain is bidding to win the Euros for a record fourth time and for the first time since 2012
- England lays claim to be the birthplace of soccer and hasn’t won a major title since the 1966 World Cup
Australian Open: Record hunter Djokovic mows down Maestrelli in Melbourne
- Fourth seed Novak Djokovic maintains steady grip on the second-round clash without needing to shift into top gear
MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic systematically dismantled Italian qualifier Francesco Maestrelli 6-3 6-2 6-2 to reach the Australian Open third round on Thursday, continuing his bid to make more history.
Fourth seed Djokovic, who is seeking a record-extending 11th Melbourne Park title and 25th Grand Slam trophy overall to break the deadlock with Margaret Court, maintained his steady grip on the second-round clash without needing to shift into top gear.
The 38-year-old raced through the opening set on the back of a break in the second game and pounced again in the opening game of the next set to heap pressure on world number 141 Maestrelli, who struggled to capitalize on his few openings.
Djokovic brought up set point with an acrobatic backhand and secured the frame with an unreturned shot from the same flank to close in on his 399th Grand Slam match victory, and his 101st in Melbourne, leaving him one shy of record-holder Roger Federer.
Maestrelli had a rare moment of joy in the third set as he recovered a break after conceding two, but Djokovic raised his level again to close out the victory and book a meeting with either Botic van de Zandschulp or Juncheng Shang.
