France were beaten by Spain on Tuesday night (Image: Getty)
Spain booked their spot in the final of Euro 2024 in style with a 2-1 victory over France on Tuesday night. Randal Kolo Muani opened the scoring for Les Bleus before two respectively stunning goals from Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo turned the game on its head.
France underwhelmed throughout the competition and reaching the last four of the competition papered over plenty of their cracks. However, Didier Deschamps’ side will not have the opportunity to right their wrongs before leaving Germany.
There is no third-place play-off match at Euro 2024, meaning that Kylian Mbappe and co will be heading back to France on a sour note. Express Sport takes a look at everything we know about the third-place match being scrapped…
Although the prospect of battling it out for third place at the competition seems familiar, there has not been a contest of that nature at the Euros for a very long time.
The competition has ended with the semi-finals followed by the final for over 30 years, with the World Cup opting for a match where a bronze medal is up for grabs.
Dani Olmo scored the winner to knock France out (Image: Getty)
When was the last third-place play-off?
There has not been a third-place game at the European Championships since 1980 when a decision was made to scrap the additional match. Italy took on Czechoslovakia in the last third-place play-off, with the latter coming out on top with a 9-8 win on penalties following a 1-1 draw in normal time.
UEFA noticed after the match that the viewing figures were low for the match and there was a surprisingly low attendance in the stadium, despite Italy hosting the tournament, prompting for a decision to be made to scrap the extra game due to the lack of demand.
Invalid email
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Gareth Southgate will be hoping to guide England to the final with a win over the Netherlands (Image: Getty)
Will there still be third-place play-offs at the World Cup?
The World Cup will continue to have third-place play-off matches. Croatia beat Morocco to earn a bronze medal at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar most recently, with Mislav Orsic scoring the winning goal in a 3-1 win for Luka Modric’s side.
England have featured in a third-place match in recent history, losing against Belgium at the 2018 World Cup. Gareth Southgate’s side were beaten 2-1 by Croatia in the semi-finals before being sent home on a sour note following goals from Belgian duo Thomas Meunier and Eden Hazard.
