If football was ever meant to come home, it is because it always belonged to Spain. A record fourth European Championship certainly crushes any doubt as La Roja beat England in the UEFA Euro 2024 final.
Yesterday’s win was a testament to Spain beautiful passing, outstanding wing play, and ruthless finishing, even though there was a brief spell when it seemed another illogical escape act from England was on the cards in Berlin.
So without further ado, let’s break down all the action from the final of Euro 2024.
After a positive first half, during which the Spanish threatened to break open England’s resilience numerous times, Spain looked to run riot after going 1-0 up early on in the second half when their wide duo combined, Lamine Yamal setting up Nico Williams, while England equalised with the help of a Cole Palmer goal, it only meant more passing, more imagination from their Spanish counterparts before substitute Mikel Oyarzabal turned in Marc Cucurella’s cross in the 86th minute.
For Gareth Southgate, whose 102nd game in charge of England could be his last, the reality is that anything other than a seventh consecutive win for Spain in this Euros Championship would have been a travesty. While England fought, with both Declan Rice and Marc Guéhi almost levelling proceedings, they were simply outplayed by the best team in the tournament. There was no misfortune to Southgate’s latest heartache.
What could he have done differently? Being critical, England’s manager could have been bolder. The focus was on containment, but England were careless when they had the ball and Southgate’s attack did not fire. In hindsight, the trio of Luka Shaw, Phil Foden, and Harry Kane should not have started this game. While both Kane and Foden were passengers, Shaw, short on match fitness, started fading away fast as the second half wore on.
However, giving credit where it’s due, the unfancied Luis de la Fuente has done a wonderful job with this Spain side. The way they responded to adversity with Rodri going off injured at half time as well as the team not shrinking after the shock of Cole Palmer’s goal has to be applauded. That made it a step too far for England, who have laboured through this tournament with resilience, isolated bursts of inspiration, and clever substitutions.
There was also the problem with taking on high-calibre opposition with a midfield that still feels improvised. Fabián Ruiz, Dani Olmo, and, until he went off, Rodri were always in control against the disappointing Declan Rice and Kobbie Mainoo. The English duo were at sea for much of the game. Mainoo looked every bit of the inexperienced 19-year-old that he is when he faded in the second half, while the mercurial and dependable Rice hardly laid a glove on the Spanish midfield.
There were last-minute heroics from the Spanish players when Unai Simón parried away Rice’s header before Guéhi’s rebound was cleared off the line by Olmo. It was England’s only shot at an equaliser as Spain ran down the clock in the final few minutes to become four-time European champions.
For England, though, the hurt of that elusive international trophy (on the men’s side of things) stands at 58 years and Southgate may not be around by the time the 2026 World Cup rolls around.
Also read: UEFA Euro 2024 Sponsors
Also watch: Euro 2024 and Copa América 2024 finals review
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