The Finals Are Here! Euro & Copa America Reach Their Climax

The summer of soccer is coming to an end as the two continental competitions will crown their champions this coming Sunday. There's still the Olympics, and the new season of UEFA Champions League has already kicked off, but the two major tournaments were by far the highlight of the summer.

Euro 2024 Final: Spain vs England

Soccer is a game where the most deserving team at times does not make it all the way to the Final. Spain, however, is as deserving of a Final as any team in this tournament. They opened their campaign with a thunderous 3-0 domination of Croatia, followed by a hard-fought 1-0 win over Italy. In their final group stage match, they faced Albania having already secured progression as top seeds. With key players rested, they still managed a 1-0 victory, bringing their group stage goal difference to a perfect 5-0.

The Round of 16 paired them with a surprisingly good Georgia side, and in the 18th minute, Spain found themselves down 0-1 after conceding their first goal of the tournament. What followed was a masterclass culminating in 4 unanswered goals and a 4-1 victory.

The quarterfinals brought Spain head-to-head with the tournament hosts Germany. The match was the first time in the tournament that Spain went from dominating a match to playing "not to lose" (something we sadly saw in 3 of the 4 quarterfinals - Austria vs Turkey being the exception). Despite the flawed tactic, Spain prevailed in overtime.

The Spain vs France semifinal - especially the first half - was by far the best match of the tournament. The best thing that could have happened, happened: France scored first and early. The way Spain came back and then locked down their defense after taking the lead was a masterclass. They proved on every level, they deserve to be here!

As for England, they took a slightly different path to the Final: A lackluster 1-0 win over Serbia was followed by two draws vs Denmark (1-1) and Slovenia (0-0). Many questions were being asked of England at this stage. Finishing top of the group was good, but a 2-1 goal difference suggested that not everything was as it should be.

The first half of England's 'Round of 16' vs Slovakia was more of the same as they found themselves down 0-1. But what happened in injury time of that match changed everything for England. A 95th-minute scissor-kick goal by Jude Bellingham not only took the game into overtime where England prevailed 2-1, but seemed to inject England with a "can't lose" mentality.

It took penalties to get past Switzerland in the quarterfinals, but as good as the Swiss at times presented themselves, there was an aura of invincibility in England that somehow left little doubt they would advance. The semifinal brought more of the same, as England, yet again, found themselves behind before managing to find victory versus the Netherlands.

Spain vs England has all the promise a fan wants to see for a Final; Spain's flair, control, and outright quality vs England's never-give-up attitude. More importantly, it's the young players who are taking center stage for both nations. England has Saka (22), Mainoo (19) & Bellingham (21) leading the charges. For Spain, it's been the likes of Pedri (21), Nico Williams (21), and of course, the youngest player in the tournament, Lamine Yamal (16) who have controlled the narrative.

Every Final has the risk of turning into a drab scared-to-take-risks match. That won't be happening here. If anything, there may be trepidation for a team to score first! Both teams are masterful with their backs to the wall. Both teams showed their best when it was needed most. Overall, Spain has been a better, more cohesive team. That may not mean much for a Final, but it seems sensible to back them here to lift the trophy in Berlin come Sunday.

Copa America Final: Argentina vs Colombia

It's painful to admit that compared to Euro 2024, Copa America "lacked". It lacked in quality; it lacked in atmosphere; statistically, it lacked in almost every category compared to Euro 2024. Most significantly, it lacked a "story" such as those that Austria, Turkey, or Georgia provided at Euro 2024. With perhaps the exception of Venezuela, there were no "Cinderella" stories in the tournament. Co-hosts Mexico and the US not making it out of the Group Stage was no help either. It can be said, however, that the Final does feature the two nations most deserving to be there.

Argentina had a perfect Group Stage with 3 victories without conceding a single goal. Some have criticized their lack of flair in those matches, but they got the job done. The quarterfinals gave Argentina a scare (there was no 'Round of 16' at the Copa) versus Ecuador, but again they prevailed, if only on penalties. One has to wonder, whose idea was it to dispense with overtime at the Copa?

The semifinal matchup with Canada was simply a repeat of their Group Stage matchup. Argentina prevailed 2-0 and showed why they are at the top of the South American pyramid at the moment.

Before discussing Colombia's path to the Final, how strange is it that a column can be written about the Copa America and truly not need to mention Brazil? What is going on with this team? Their Copa America performance only justifies the questions thrown at this team at the moment.

Back to the Final, Colombia are deserving finalists. They dominated their Group with easy victories versus Paraguay and Costa Rica before a 1-1 draw versus Brazil. They were near perfect in their 4-0 drubbing of Panama in the quarterfinals before a tough 1-0 victory over Uruguay in the semifinals. In that semifinal, Colombia had to play with 10 players for the entire second half to defend that lead.

Ecuador showed the world that Argentina will not necessarily dominate every match. Colombia will be wise to take a lesson from that match when preparing for the Final. It's hard to see anything but Argentina lifting the trophy. The World Champions, behind Leo Messi, have all the tools to dominate. It won't necessarily be easy, but there is simply too much quality on this side.

Approaching the climax of both Euro 2024 and Copa America, it's clear that these tournaments have offered contrasting narratives. While Euro 2024 has been a spectacle of surprising underdog stories and high-quality football, Copa America has showcased the dominance of traditional powerhouses. Both finals promise intriguing matchups: Spain's technical brilliance against England's resilience in Europe, and Argentina's star-studded squad facing Colombia's tenacious team in the South American tournament.

Regardless of the outcomes, these matches will undoubtedly provide a fitting end to a summer of international football that has captivated fans around the globe. As the dust settles on these continental showpieces, attention will soon turn to the upcoming Olympics and the promise of more footballing drama to come.