Page 86 - Soccer360 Issue 107

SUMMER OLYMPICS 2024
YOUTH REVOLUTION CONTINUES IN SPAIN
BY SEAN MASLIN
ABOVE:
Spain won the Gold Medal
at the 2024 Olympics in France shortly after winning the EURO 2024 tournament in Germany
LEFT (Opposite page): Rahimi scored an impressive 8 goals at the olympics for Morocco
The Spanish armada is once again Championship at the senior and under-19 coming through with the game-winner
demolishing opponents in men’s football. La Roja capped off their return to the top of the football pyramid with an emphatic 5-3 victory over France in the 2023 Summer Olympics Gold Medal match.
This isn’t the first time that Spain have dominated international football. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that they reeled off back-to-
back European Championships to go with their 2010 World Cup trophy. But the team has fallen on relative hard times since those glory days and 2024 seems to be the beginning of a new golden generation.
In addition to winning Olympic Gold, Spain have also won the European
levels this summer. Throw in a second
place finish at last year’s under-21 European Championship and a UEFA Nations League title during 2022-2023 and one can see a pattern forming quickly (It should also be noted that their women’s team earned their first-ever World Cup title in 2023).
Aside from being successful, there are other constants across Spanish football. Since the 2010s their style of play has changed dramatically going from the tiki taka steady progression through the midfield to a quicker, pacier style of attack.
There were some speed bumps for Spain
in the Group Stage. They eked out a 2-1 victory in the opening match against Uzbekistan with defender Sergio Gomez
in the second half. They had a similarly nervy experience with the Dominican Republic-going ahead early before letting
in an equalizer just before halftime. They regrouped in the second half to earn the three points with Alex Baena of Villarreal and Miguel Gutierrez Ortega putting the game away for good. That win secured a spot in the knockout round but a 2-1 loss
to Egypt in their final group stage game certainly had Spanish supporters thinking that they may not make it much further.
As good teams often do, Spain found
their footing in the knockout round. After blanking Japan 3-0 they scored two late goals to knock off Morocco in front of a pro-Moroccan crowd of 59, 882 at the Stade
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