Spain Hunts Euro Record: Five Untuned Victorys
JAKARTA - The Spanish national team have won all their matches at Euro 2024. Four wins from four matches in the group stage are an unprecedented achievement in the history of the Spanish national team.
Luis Aragonés (2008) and Vicente del Bosque (between 2012 and 2016) each reached three wins in a row, but stopped in the fourth match. The 0-0 result against Italy for Luis and 2-1 against Croatia for Vicente. Now, De la Fuente has matched that record.
Against Germany, Spain are looking for a fifth straight win. This is the highest limit in the history of the Euros. The first team to achieve it was France, who won all the games to win in their homes in 1984. They failed to reach their sixth win because at Euro 1992 they started with a 1-1 draw against Sweden at Solna, and they did not qualify to defend their title in 1988.
To become European champions their only major title, the Netherlands lost their opening game against the Soviet Union (which they beat in the final) before winning four games in a row and the first match in 1992.
After defeating the Soviets in the Munich final with the artwork of Marco Van Basten, they started Euro 1992 with a 1-0 win against Scotland, but in the second match the result was 0-0 against the successor to the Soviet Union, the Free States Community (CIS).
The Czech Republic won five consecutive matches between 2000 and 2004 without becoming champions. They won three group stage matches in Portugal (against the Netherlands, Germany, and Latvia) and a quarter-final match (against Denmark) before losing in extra time against Greece which finally won. The Czechs arrived in Portugal with a meaningless win in their last group stage match 2000: 0-2 against Denmark before returning home.
Italy is also five times. They beat Wembley by winning the semifinals (against Spain) and the final (against England) on penalties after winning three group stage matches, the quarter-finals, and the last 16.
The overall lossless match record is still held by Spain: 14 games. Starting from the defeat in Lisbon in 2004 against Portugal to the 2-1 defeat against Croatia in the third match of the 2016 group stage.