’La Roja’ has emerged as a latent favorite in the current European Championship, despite opinions that this is not the Spain of 10-15 years ago. The Spaniards have shown what they are capable of, recording three victories and topping Group B. This success is further magnified by the fact that they kept clean sheets in all three matches (against Croatia, Italy, and Albania). By securing three consecutive wins, Spain has equaled the existing record for the most consecutive victories in European Championship history. Considering that FIFA and UEFA count matches won on penalties as draws, this achievement matches the success of the 2008 squad under Luis Aragonés and the 2012 squad under Vicente del Bosque.🚨 Luis de la Fuente has stated that Lamine Yamal will be in the starting lineup against Georgia, even though there are worries about potentially violating German regulations regarding under 18s working beyond specific hours. #Euro2024 pic.twitter.com/qnzU0rOcKH— All Sportz 🏀⚽ (@Allsportztv) June 29, 2024 Before the current coach, Luis Aragonés was the first to achieve three consecutive wins in 2008, when Spain also won the European Championship. Spain topped the table, defeating Russia, Sweden, and Greece, but only triumphed over Italy after a penalty shootout. Four years later, the national team from the Iberian Peninsula successfully defended their European title in Poland and Ukraine under Vicente del Bosque. In 2012, Spain was also in a group with Italy and Croatia, while Ireland was the final team in the group. La Roja’s draw in the first match against Italy foreshadowed an exciting final against the Azzurri. On their way to the final, they defeated Croatia and Ireland, advancing to the knockout stage from first place in the group. After progressing to the semifinals against France, Vicente needed just one more win in 90 minutes, but the Portuguese posed a challenge, and Spain had to reach the final via a penalty shootout against Portugal.De la Fuente confident to say the least: There is no team better than us!On Sunday, everything can change. The Georgians found their form with a 2-0 victory over Portugal and will face the Conquistadors in Stuttgart. Although the Georgians may seem easy on paper, Luis de la Fuente, the new favorite among Spanish fans, has cautioned his players, knowing that underdogs don’t fall easily. Spain certainly has plans to be among the top eight teams, and a win in 90 minutes would send De la Fuente into the national team’s history books. The Gruzian coach Willy Sagnol, whom the Georgians plan to honor with a statue and who already has citizenship and an Order of Merit, took on the job seriously. He moved to Tbilisi and managed to bring order to a criticized and divided team, often for reasons unrelated to football. He assembled a squad of players from 23 different clubs and 17 different leagues. And he has already performed a miracle. Can he do it again tonight?EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP – 1/8 FINALSSaturdaySwitzerland – Italy 2-0 (1-0)/Freuler 37, Vargas 46/Germany – Denmark 2-0 (0-0)/Havertz 53 pen, Musiala 68/Sunday19.00: (1.45) England (4.50) Slovakia (9.50)22.00: (1.25) Spain (6.50) Georgia (15.0)Monday19.00: (1.95) France (3.40) Belgium (4.70)22.00: (1.43) Portugal (4.75) Slovenia (9.10)Tuesday19.00: (8.25) Romania (4.30) Netherlands (1.50)22.00: (1.95) Austria (3.50) Turkey (4.50)***odds are subject to change***
