Spain route to Euro 2024 final: Potential knock-out stage opponents in La Roja’s tough run | OneFootball

La Roja sewed up top spot in Group B — the ‘group of death’, no less – with a game to spare and finished perfect. Croatia, Italy and Albania all fell, without scoring a goal against Spain.

Spain will now be hoping to maintain their strong recent record at the European Championship, reaching at least the semi-final in three of the last four editions. That includes their two triumphs in 2008 and 2012.

Spain’s Group B results

3-0 vs Croatia – Spain kicked off their Euro 2024 campaign in style with a 3-0 thrashing of Croatia, thanks to goals from Alvaro Morata, Fabian Ruiz and Dani Carvajal. Lamine Yamal, aged just 16, became the youngest-ever player to play and assist in the European Championships, while fellow youngster Pedri — a senior citizen by comparison at 21 — also provided an assist and registered 100% returns for pass completion and dribble success.

1-0 vs Italy – This was arguably the most eye-catching clash in the entire group stage and Spain dominated.  They did need an own-goal from Italy centre-back Riccardo Calafiori to win but had a grand total of nine shots on target against the defending champions.

1-0 vs Albania – Spain were already guaranteed top spot when they faced Albania in their final game, so rotated slightly. Nevertheless, they managed to secure a 1-0 victory through Ferran Torres’ first-half goal. It made Spain just the second team to win all three of their group stage games at a European Championship without conceding a goal, after Italy did so en route to winning the competition at Euro 2020.

Spain’s route as Group B winners

Last 16: Spain have arguably the sweetest last 16 draw on paper, facing Group F’s third-placed side Georgia. Spain recorded 7-1 and 3-1 wins over Georgia during Euro 2024 qualifying.

Quarter-finals: Should Spain advance as many expect them to, they do have a hard run to the final. First up will be the winner of Germany vs Denmark in what could be a thrilling quarter-final.

Semi-finals: The route gets even tougher for Spain, with Portugal and France among those potentially set for a semi-final date.

Final: Based on bookmakers favourites, England would be the most likely opponent in the final. But the Three Lions haven’t looked good, so Netherlands and Italy could also be potential opponents for Spain.

Spain’s reasons for optimism

Spain have lost just two of their previous 25 matches at the European Championship. They pulled Croatia apart with ease and looked extremely comfortable against Italy even if the scoreline didn’t suggest that. The group was all wrapped up in a nice bow with their 1-0 win over Albania. On top of their bright history at the European Championship, Spain have also reached the last two UEFA Nations League finals, winning the most recent one.

There’s immense quality right across the pitch and arguably the most technical ability of any side at the tournament, so you can be sure Spain will be able to pass you to death if they get in front. There’s also an exciting young generation emerging, led by Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal.

Spain’s potential roadblocks

Spain have arguably performed the best of all teams at Euro 2024 so far, but their failure to put chances away against Italy might cause some worries. Missing key chances has been a problem for Spain for some time, particularly when Alvaro Morata leads the line. No team has missed more big chances than Spain at Euro 2024 so far, with La Roja converting 25% of their big chances (8/32).

Another obvious issue is that they face a more difficult route to the final. It is not impossible that to win Euro 2024, Spain must beat Germany, Portugal or France and England, Italy or Netherlands. All despite winning their group.

Luis de la Fuente tactical insights

There were some doubts when Luis de la Fuente took charge but he has worked with the U19, U21 and U23 sides, so he may be the perfect man to lead their younger squad. It’s been no surprise that Spain have gone with a 4-3-3 formation, with that set up now ingrained in the nation’s DNA.

Unlike the 2022 World Cup, Rodri is back playing in his favoured position as the No.6, pulling the strings while flanked by Pedri and Fabian Ruiz. Alvaro Morata continues to lead the line for Spain, but he has capable support on the wings in Yamal and Nico Williams.

Marc Cucurella has also enjoyed a good tournament so far at left-back, looking to have found a run of form at just the right time for Spain. They are performances that have also seen Bundesliga winner Alex Grimaldo forced to settle for a substitute role.

Fan and media perspectives

After reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2020, there was huge disappointment in Spain’s failure to make it past the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. However, two consecutive Nations League finals are more than enough to prove their pedigree.

Spain will always carry a degree of expectation at major tournaments, especially with so many exciting young players coming through, so anything less than matching their 2020 effort will not be met kindly.

How Spain qualified for Euro 2024

Spain didn’t have it all their own way during qualifying, losing 2-0 to Scotland early on, but they still topped Group A with 21 points from a possible 24.