Spain reigns supreme again! A goal from Mikel Oyarzabal tipped the final against England 2-1 on Sunday and ‘Spain’ were crowned champions of Euro 2024 in Berlin, 12 years after their last continental title.
With the trophy added in Germany, Spain has now won four European Championships (1964, 2008, 2012, and 2024), which ties it with ‘Germany’ (3) and places it alone as the most successful team on the continent.
Youngster Lamine Yamal’s fourth assist of the tournament set up the other winger, Nico Williams, to open the scoring (47) with Spain’s first shot on target of the match. Cole Palmer tied the score later (73) and when the match seemed headed for extra time, Oyarzabal scored the decisive winning goal (86).
Yamal and Williams, who have just turned 17 and 22 respectively, are the faces of a new team, that of Luis de la Fuente, which has captivated all of Europe throughout the tournament, with a full house of victories in the seven matches played.
Against giants of old Europe such as Italy, Germany, France or England, ‘Spain’ has shone based on control, possession, and a lot of help between all the players.
England, meanwhile, continues their title drought, which has expanded to 58 years since the 1966 World Cup, despite having reached their second successive Euro final.
Rodri’s Injury
That was despite the fact that the ‘Three Lions’ had gone into the break satisfied. After a live performance of the tournament anthem ‘Fire’ and the presentation of the Henri Delaunay trophy by former Italian international Giorgio Chiellini at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, the match got off to a smooth start.
England was trapped in their own half but managed to contain Spain far enough away from the goal defended by Jordan Pickford, and even had a dangerous first shot on goal by Phil Foden (45+1), well blocked by Unai Simon. Although there was no goal to regret, Spain suffered an injury to Rodri in one of the last actions of the first half. Spain came out of the break in top form, and a Dani Carvajal pass from the side sent Yamal into the box. The youngster spotted Willams’ run down the other side and laid on the precise assist for the Athletic Club striker to settle the one-on-one.
Southgate Makes the Right Changes
The goal left England slightly knocked out, and they began to accept chances again through Williams (56) and Yamal (66). But manager Gareth Southgate did respond by bringing on Ollie Watkins and Cole Palmer among others. The changes worked and England began to hunt for goals with immediate effect. The Chelsea striker, one of the best players of the season in the Premier League, froze the little more than 11,000 Spanish fans present in Berlin, with a shot close to the post that Simon was unable to save.
The ‘Spain’ smelled blood and when it seemed that England was close to the second, Spain struck on the counterattack, another of the virtues of Luis de la Fuente’s team. Marc Cucurella took benefit of the open space on the left flank and ran alone. At the height of the area, he sent a pass towards the penalty spot where Oyarzabal appeared to beat Pickford. Declan Rice came close to equalizing in added time, but Dani Olmo saved the goal, which avoided extra time and crowned Spain once again at the top of European football.
