'It Will Haunt Me Forever' - Rice Uses Italy Defeat As Euro 2024 Final Motivation

Declan Rice has expressed that England's Euro 2020 final loss to Italy will always be a painful memory. He urged the team to use this as motivation for their upcoming match against Spain on Sunday. England secured their spot in the Euro 2024 final with a dramatic 2-1 victory over the Netherlands in Dortmund on Wednesday.

In their last major final, England faced a heartbreaking defeat against Italy at Wembley. The match ended 1-1 after extra time, and Italy triumphed 3-2 in the penalty shootout. Rice, who was part of that squad, is determined to move past that disappointment and achieve success this time around.

"Seeing Italy lift that trophy will haunt me forever," said Rice. "We are now presented with another opportunity where we can write our own history, but we are up against another top side who we have to massively respect. Hopefully, now we can do it. Not only for each other but also for the manager. I think he deserves it."

Under Gareth Southgate's leadership, England has reached at least the semi-final stage three times. Sunday's match in Berlin marks their first-ever major tournament final on foreign soil. This time, they will face Spain, who have won the tournament three times before.

The Three Lions manager emphasised the importance of precision and recovery ahead of the final. "They would be rightly favourites for what they have done this tournament. They have been the best team," said Southgate. "They have got a day longer and in the past three finals, maybe more, it has been quite significant, so we have got to get our recovery spot on."

Preparation and Strategy

Southgate acknowledged Spain's strengths and stressed the need for tactical perfection. "Tactically we will have to be perfect as they are such a good side," he added. Despite recognising Spain's prowess, Southgate remains optimistic about England's chances.

The anticipation is high as England prepares for this historic match. The team aims not only to win for themselves but also to honour their manager's efforts and dedication.

The upcoming clash promises to be a thrilling encounter between two formidable teams vying for European glory.