Midfielder Dani Olmo on Friday said Spain have enjoyed the challenging path they faced to reach the Euro 2024 final, winning a tough group and taking down Germany and France on the way. Now, they are pumped up for their clash against England, who are in their second consecutive Euro final, in Berlin on Sunday.
Olmo came on as a substitute to grab a goal and an assist to help Spain — who won the European Championships last in 2012 — beat hosts Germany in the quarter-finals and scored the winner against France after they had initially gone behind.
The 26-year-old said doing things the hard way was the perfect motivation for the competitive group.
“We’ve had to go through the hard road and should be proud of how we got here. The style of game we are playing is what got us here,” Olmo said at a news conference.
“We are feeling really good and charged-up, well prepared, physically and mentally at our best. We know we have a unique opportunity on Sunday. We are super motivated for the game to come.
“All we are thinking now is about the final. Ninety minutes away from glory, from being able to win a European Championship 12 years later. Our motivation is at its peak... Can’t wait!”
Olmo acknowledged that England’s path has also been tough and that their opponents have shown a fighting spirit that deserves respect. However, he didn’t think that Spain needed to alter their attacking style for the title clash.
“If it’s working, why change? We are playing with a unique and personalised idea, it’s what we are as a team. We can always do new things and improve, as the coach says, but the idea will be the same,” Olmo said.
“England are a team that has shown that they never give up... But we have suffered too. Against Germany, winning in extra time... against France it wasn’t easy...
“It’s true that we played well. But we’ve just lost a European Championship semi-final four years ago. We have that bad experience. We are not concerned about the road they have travelled. We focus on our own.”
