Spain defeated England 2-1 to win the Euro 2024 title thanks to a late sucker punch from Mikel Oyarzabal. This victory prolongs England’s 60-year trophy drought.
After a superb run and pass by Lamine Yamal, Spain maintained possession and increased pressure, which led to Nico Williams’ first goal just two minutes after the break. It was the ideal pick-me-up after Rodri’s injury at halftime.
Cole Palmer, however, was the most recent England hero off the bench as his incredible shot levelled things up after captain Harry Kane was substituted after a lacklustre performance up front. The Chelsea player effectively delivered Jude Bellingham’s dismissal, raising the possibility of a sea change in Berlin.
As extra time approached, England sensed a change in momentum, but Spain applied more pressure. With an incredible stop, Jordan Pickford stopped Lamine Yamal, who was later crowned the tournament’s young player of the year.
The England number one made two outstanding saves in the second half to keep Spain’s 17-year-old star at bay at 1-0.
But Spain’s moment eventually arrived. With four minutes remaining in normal time, Oyarzabal slotted home Marc Cucurella’s cross, giving the Three Lions little chance to rally.
When Declan Rice met Palmer’s corner unmarked, England believed they had levelled the score. Dani Olmo cleared it away after Unai Simon parried it and Marc Guehi nodded the ball towards the line. Rice knocked over another rebound.
In the end, Spain became the first team to win four European Championships, making England’s comeback one too many.
England manager Gareth Southgate on ITV Sport:
“I’m devastated for everybody really. The players have been incredible, I’m so proud of what they’ve done, but we’ve just fallen a little bit short.
“We had a little bit of momentum at the time of the equaliser, and a big chance at the end to equalise as well, but probably across the 90 minutes I’m not sure we did quite enough.
“I just think against Spain, they press well, you have to keep the ball when you win it back.
“Defensively we were fine in the first half, you just have to retain the ball a little bit better. In the end, maybe that’s the bit that takes a little bit out.”
England captain Harry Kane on BBC Sport:
“We made it clear we love the manager, but that’s his decision [whether he wants to stay on]. Now’s not the time to talk about it. It’s down to him, he’ll go away and think about it. But we’re all just hurting.
“Losing in a final is as tough as it gets. We did really well to get back into the game and get level, but we couldn’t quite use the momentum to push on. We couldn’t quite keep the ball and got punished. It’s as painful as it can be in a football match.
“We didn’t keep the same intensity, keep the ball well enough. It’s the last stage of the tournament, there’s a lot of tired legs and mentality. It’s down to big moments, we had one at the end which they cleared off the line, but it’s really disappointing.
“It’s been a tough tournament. We’ve had to show a lot of resilience, me personally and the team. It’s been a difficult ride and we’ve done extremely well to get here. But ultimately we’re going to be judged on this game.
“We wanted to do it so badly for ourselves and the fans, and everyone who’s believed in us the whole way. Right now, it’s just huge disappointment.”
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