Spain beat England 2-1 to lift
its fourth European football title as England lose its second consecutive Euro
finals.
Spain is the king of European
football for a record fourth time. For England, it is another agonising near
miss in the team’s decades-long tale of underachievement.
Completing a tournament the
team dominated from start to finish, Spain beat England 2-1 in the European
Championship final on Sunday with Mikel Oyarzabal the unlikely match-winner in
the 86th minute.
Oyarzabal, a backup striker who came on as a substitute for captain Alvaro Morata, slid in to poke home a left-wing cross by Marc Cucurella, just when the game at Berlin’s Olympiastadion seemed destined for extra time.
England, the birthplace of
football, is still without a major title in the men’s game since winning the
1966 World Cup and its players watched on forlornly as Morata raised aloft the
silver trophy to a backdrop of confetti and fireworks inside the stadium built
for the 1936 Olympics.
Spain lost influential
midfielder Rodri to injury at half-time, but shrugged that off to take the lead
within two minutes of the restart through Nico Williams, who was set up by his
fellow star winger, Lamine Yamal.
England came from behind as
they have done so often at this Euros, as substitute Cole Palmer drove in the
equaliser on 73 minutes, moments after entering the fray.
But their resurgence in the
game was cut short as Oyarzabal, the Real Sociedad forward, turned in a cross
in the 86th minute to hand Spain a record fourth European Championship crown,
and a third in the last five editions.
They previously won in 1964,
2008 and 2012, the last two titles coming either side of their triumph at the
2010 World Cup during the golden era of Xavi Hernandez, Xabi Alonso and Andres
Iniesta.
Whether this generation, led by the brilliant Yamal who was playing here a day after his 17th birthday, manage to repeat the achievements of that magnificent side remains to be seen, but theirs was a fitting victory.
Spain have been comfortably
the best team over the last month in Germany and were not intimidated by the
atmosphere at the Olympiastadion, where the majority of the crowd were given
over to England’s cause.
England had hoped to finally
claim a first men’s international title since their fabled victory at the 1966
World Cup, but fell just short in their first ever final on foreign soil.
After the agony of their
defeat on penalties to Italy three years ago, they are the first side ever to
lose back-to-back Euros finals.
Captain Harry Kane, meanwhile,
is left at the age of 30 still looking for the first trophy of a career so rich
in goals, this defeat coming after a season in which he also won nothing with
Bayern Munich.
Spain overcome Rodri injury to
Euro 2024 glory
It was always likely that
Spain would control this game, and England spent most of the first half chasing
the ball.
Spain controlled the game from
the off, but it took until stoppage time at the end of the first half for
either team to manage a shot on target, with Phil Foden’s effort from a Declan
Rice free-kick delivery being easily saved by goalkeeper Unai Simon.
But it was just before that in which Rodri hurt himself, sliding into teammate Aymeric Laporte on the follow-through as he blocked a Kane shot.
Spain’s outstanding holding
midfielder was unable to continue, and made way for Martin Zubimendi at the
restart.
Spain had chances to increase
their lead and their fans began to greet every successful pass with an ‘ole’,
as Southgate tried to turn the tide by sending on Palmer for Kobbie Mainoo.
Within three minutes England
were level as Bukayo Saka’s ball in from the right was laid off by Jude
Bellingham for Palmer, who found the net from range with a low first-time
effort into the corner.
However, Spain grabbed the
winner with four minutes to go thanks to their own super-sub.
Oyarzabal played the ball out
to Marc Cucurella on the left before racing into the middle to turn his
teammate’s low cross into the net, staying just onside in the process.
Spain then held on, although
only after a vital clearance off the line from Dani Olmo to deny Marc Guehi at
the death.
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