Roy Keane believes Spain will be favourites to win the Euro 2024 final on Sunday but said “sometimes it’s all down to fate” after another late win for England.
England came from behind again in Dortmund to beat the Netherlands 2-1. A Harry Kane penalty cancelled out a fine first-half strike from Xavi Simons, but Ollie Watkins’ late goal ensured England once again qualified for the European Championship final.
England’s strength and spirit was on full display in the final minutes with a goal. Sky Sports Pundit Keane says Gareth Southgate’s side are looking well-positioned for Sunday’s final in Berlin.
“I think Spain are the favourites to win but it could decide the fate of the English team,” he said. ITV Sports.
“They should have been out of it a week or so ago, but now they’ve got momentum.”
“It’s good to have guys coming off the bench in the right frame of mind. They want to go out there and make an impact.”
“They’ve been coming on and scoring late goals so it’s going to be a great game against Spain. The impact of players off the bench is huge for a lot of teams in this tournament.”
The Euro 2024 final will be the first time the men’s team will play a major tournament final on foreign soil and fellow commentator Gary Neville agrees that the momentum is tilting in England’s favour.
“It’s an incredible achievement. It’s an incredible performance to be in the final again. Go all the way. How many more times can England be in this position? I’ve never been there,” he added. ITV Sports.
“Nobody had high expectations of Spain, me included, but they were the best team and they were playing their best football. So, we have our work cut out for us, but it feels like something is happening. The odds are stacked in England’s favour and that’s giving them confidence.”
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Gareth Southgate’s England team reached the European Championship final, sending England fans across the country into a frenzy.
“But it’s clear that Spain is a much better team than us in this competition.
“It’s incredible. The players and the coach were not at their best in this tournament but they stayed in the game and won. For years they’ve been told they were naive, they’ve played well and lost, but this team will do anything and they’re getting better and better.”
“The way they’ve done it is absolutely brilliant and it’s something no English team has been able to do before.”
