It could be labelled as petty, but it's fair to say that quite a few football fans in this part of the world took some joy from England's Euro 2024 final defeat at the hands of Spain last night.
The hype machine had kicked into overdrive over the last week or so, with our friends across the Irish Sea exceedingly confident that they would end their major tournament drought in Germany. This was despite the fact that they had made it all the way to the final without producing a single impressive performance.
This factor, along with the fact that England had been handed a remarkably easy draw in the buildup to the final, meant that Spain should have always been considered as strong favourites. A lot of English fans didn't see it that way.
In any case, there is no doubt that Spain deserved their 2-1 victory. They were the far superior side on the night, even if they did depend on a late goal to get over the line.
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James McClean Responds To Criticism After Euro 2024 Final
It's fair to say that Spain were a well supported team for this fixture, with quite a few people put off by the confidence shown by England and their supporters in the buildup to the game.
James McClean was certainly on the side of the Spanish, sharing this story on Instagram in the hours before the match.
James McClean is looking forward to this evening's Euro 2024 final 🤣 #Euro2024 pic.twitter.com/CItUAWDYNx
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) July 14, 2024
This seemed to garner a bit of attention in England, with radio station talkSPORT branding the Derry man as 'very cocky'.
It's fair to say that McClean saw the irony in those comments.
Wouldn't say cocky, vamos now.
Cocky would be saying for the past month on your show 'it's coming home', I'd say more confident.
Adios and God bless.
He certainly had the last laugh.
England will be reeling from their Euro 2024 final defeat for quite a while, but James McClean will be basking in the glory of the next few days.
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